A 26-year-old man currently in jail on drug trafficking and firearms charges in Saskatchewan called in a not-guilty plea Wednesday to more drug trafficking charges in Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster and Richmond.
Saskatchewan drug trafficking charges
Sheldon Narayan was arrested in Saskatoon in May after an investigation by the Saskatoon Police Service's drug unit.
A search warrant executed in that case turned up 4.22 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly half a kilogram of crack/cocaine, nearly 138 grams of pink fentanyl, $25,926 in cash and a loaded modified handgun, according to Saskatoon police.
At the time of his arrest in Saskatchewan, Narayan was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for alleged drug trafficking in the Lower Mainland in 2021.
'Organized crime' investigation
The B.C. charges were approved and the warrant issued in April 2023, after an investigation by the province’s anti-gang agency, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
CFSEU spokesperson Sgt. Brenda Winpenny said the agency got information in 2021 that led to an investigation into "alleged trafficking of fentanyl by an organized crime group in the Lower Mainland."
Winpenny said the investigation led to charges against six people, but she declined to provide more information as the matter is now before the courts.
Narayan has been charged with seven counts of drug trafficking in Burnaby, Vancouver, New Westminster and Richmond between July and October 2021, according the Vancouver provincial court registry.
He appeared in B.C. provincial court by telephone from jail in Saskatchewan Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Set for trial
The Crown expects to call seven witnesses, and defence lawyer Mark Swartz said he would be making a number of pre-trial applications.
Narayan's next Vancouver court appearance is set for Nov. 20 to confirm trial dates.
Another man charged in the same investigation, 29-year-old Gatinder Singh Mahey, also appeared in Vancouver provincial court Wednesday.
He has been charged with four counts of drug trafficking in Burnaby and New West in December 2021 and January 2022.
He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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