Vancouver police are touting the approval of criminal charges against three men allegedly linked to illicit fentanyl production in a Richmond home in 2023.
On April 12, 2023, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) announced officers seized: 27.7 kilograms fentanyl; two kilograms cocaine; 800 grams methamphetamines and $365,000 cash. The drugs had an estimated value of nearly $8 million.
Then, police said they were considering charges against three men who had been arrested following the bust.
Now, following charge approval from BC Prosecution Service, Duncan resident Jason Conrad has been charged with trafficking fentanyl, four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and weapons offences; and each of Richmond residents Liam MacRae and Erin Fineday are charged with production of fentanyl, trafficking fentanyl and two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The charges have not been proven in court.
The charges follow a 14-month investigation the department dubbed Project Toluene, which tracked individuals suspected of manufacturing and trafficking illicit drugs across the Lower Mainland. The investigation led police to a drug lab inside a Richmond home, which was dismantled in April 2023 with assistance from Richmond RCMP, according to a statement from the VPD May 15.
“People continue to die in record numbers from toxic drugs that are manufactured and sold by organized criminals,” said Insp. Phil Heard, officer in charge of VPD’s Organized Crime Section.
“As long as this is happening, we will focus our investigative energy on rooting out the people responsible for fuelling the toxic drug crisis,” added Heard.
