ALERT showcasing over one kilogram of meth seized in July 2019 (Photo courtesy of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team)

By Scott Roblin

Drug Trafficking

MHPS using policing connections to tackle methamphetamine trafficking

Feb 12, 2020 | 5:30 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Over the last few weeks, a number of methamphetamine busts either originating from or arriving in Medicine Hat have been reported.

The battle against crystal meth has been a long documented one for the Medicine Hat Police Service, as they’re leaning on their partners across the province and beyond to stop the flow of the narcotics on the prairies.

S/Sgt. Kelsey Fraser with MHPS’ organized crime section has seen drugs in the city evolve from cocaine to heroin to opioids, however he said methamphetamine has taken on a new life in recent years.

“Methamphetamine to this community is our number one scourge that we’re dealing with as far as illicit narcotics in this community and the consumption rates are very high,” said Fraser.

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Between 2018 and 2019, MHPS reported a 142 percent increase in their number of year over year methamphetamine seizures in the city.

They also say incidents of officers using force rose by 30 percent in 2019, something they attribute to the rise of the illicit substance.

Fraser said their location along the Trans-Canada Highway corridor has allowed sufficent access for criminals in moving drugs through Medicine Hat.

“The ease of access to communities near Medicine Hat or far, the number one highway is obviously linking every province here,” he said. “To say that isn’t a factor would be wrong, but it’s not what mainly brings drugs into our city.”

According to Fraser, most of those cases either originate locally or feature suppliers from larger markets looking to tap into a new market.

“The files we focus on are syndicates or groups from either inside the city or out from different communities such as Calgary and Edmonton, that are trafficking into this community in large, wholesale quantities,” said Fraser.

Last week, two Swift Current men were charged with a number of drug related offences after officers discovered around 1,700 individual doses of methamphetamine in their vehicle after being pulled over for not having mud flaps.

Drug paraphernalia, cell phones, a scale, a pipe, hard drives, dog spray and a knife were also seized, while it’s believed the drugs originated in Medicine Hat.

Just one day prior, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team and MHPS partnered to charge three Medicine Hat residents after seizing $15,000 worth of methamphetamine in the city.

“Years ago we worked in silos for separate agencies and we’ve learned to collaborate over the last decade to share information, share resources, and get more mileage of what we can do in order to get better results,” said Fraser.

Along with their partnership with ALERT, Fraser added officers are no stranger to reaching out to various policing agencies across western Canada whenever they need to investigate a case..

“We are in constant consultation and conversation with our partnering agencies in Alberta and greater, Saskatchewan, B.C., and nationwide,” he added. “Wherever a file takes us, we have resources to contact that agency or jurisdiction to get help.”

Those with information regarding methamphetamine production and trafficking in Medicine Hat are asked to call MHPS at 403-502-8909 or use the MHPS app.