Swift Current officers assist in cocaine trafficking bust – SwiftCurrentOnline.com

An investigation that began earlier this year by several Southern Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Team (SERT) units led to two arrests last week.

On Thursday officers arrested two adult males and then executed search warrants at two residences: one in Saskatoon and one in Martensville.

They located and seized approximately 310 grams of cocaine; 170 grams of psilocybin; 41 grams of MDMA; more than 17,000 illegal cigarettes; a handgun and a loaded clip; drug trafficking paraphernalia; and a large sum of cash.

As a result, 36-year-old Justin Maier from Martensville and 38-year-old Simon Chan from Saskatoon are each charged with one count of trafficking cocaine and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Justin Maier is also charged with one count of: possession of a restricted device, careless storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm knowing possession is unauthorized, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, possession of a weapon obtained by the commission of an offence, and possession of a firearm contrary to order.

Simon Chan is also charged with one count: possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of MDMA for the purpose of trafficking, possession of psilocybin for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a prohibited device, possession of unstamped tobacco, possession of unmarked tobacco.

The duo appeared in court on Friday.

“These are highly specialized teams that target specific types of criminal activity within the province,” said Seargent Danny Donison, SERT's south Saskatchewan manager, in a media release. “This is a significant seizure, one that highlights SERT's commitment to public safety through an intelligence-led approach in combating serious crime within our communities.”

The Moose Jaw Crime Reduction Team (CRT), and the Swift Current and Yorkton Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Teams (STRT) collaborated on this ongoing investigation.