North Vancouver RCMP seized a hoard of weapons, cash and $50,000 in hard drugs during a raid last month on a home in Lynn Valley.
Investigators held a press conference Thursday to show off their haul from the high-profile bust at a property on the 900 block of Lynn Valley Road on Nov. 1.
Among the items seized: Three pistols, a sawed-off shotgun, a rifle, ammunition, one kilogram of heroin, 3.6 kg of synthetic cannabinoids, 295 grams of a furanylfentanyl, 205 grams of methamphetamine, three grams of cocaine, along with dozens of prohibited weapons like brass knuckles, knives and swords.
“We think this was a stash house for drug dealers to come in, resupply the drugs, and go out,” said Const. Mansoor Sahak, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman. “We hope this investigation puts a dent into the operation.”
Also in the home, police are alleging, was a cache of stolen property including high-end bicycles from break-and-enters in Whistler and items taken from a Home Depot in Squamish. Sahak described the home as a “crime hub.”
“In my last seven years in North Van, I would say this is one of the largest [busts] in recent history,” Sahak said. “This is very substantial.”
Five people were arrested in the Nov. 1 raid, two of whom were living in the home but police say were not involved in the criminal activity. Mounties will be recommending the Crown lay a host of charges against the remaining three, who are between the ages of 35 and 48. Because no charges have been sworn yet, police are not releasing their names and they are no longer in custody.
“There’s no indication, at this point, this is related to the Lower Mainland or the B.C. gang conflict, but obviously any time we have a sophisticated operation like this… there’s a level of organized crime involved,” he said.
Officers say there were two children living in the home, along with the stockpiles of narcotics and weapons and criminal activity.
"[That] is extremely concerning – the complete disregard for the well-being of the residents inside the home and for the children,” Sahak said.
Sahak could not say what has since happened to the children, but police did alert the Ministry of Children and Families, as is standard in these cases.
Sahak said the RCMP received numerous tips from the public about the home dating back to September. Because of the presence of weapons and the RCMP’s heavily-armed emergency response team, a nearby school was placed on lockdown while police carried out the raid, “out of an abundance of caution.”
Sahak said he understood the worries the event might have stoked in the community, but he said the public’s co-operation has been key in making the neighbourhood safer.
“We applaud those individuals [who contacted police], and we ask that they continue doing this,” he said. “Any time we see a large police presence, it is concerning, but I want to reassure them that police are doing everything they can to stop these individuals, and without [the public's] help, we wouldn’t be able to be where we’re at today.”
The case remains under investigation.
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