The Province

RCMP searching for suspect in drug raid

Five people face 48 charges after large quantity of drugs seized in execution of multiple search warrants

- NICK EAGLAND neagland@postmedia.com twitter.com/nickeaglan­d

Surrey RCMP is seeking the public’s help in tracking down an alleged drug trafficker following a massive bust last week.

In February, the detachment’s drug section began investigat­ing a local drug-distributi­on network operating throughout the Lower Mainland and “preying” on drug users at Surrey’s notorious “Strip” on 135A Street, Cpl. Scotty Schumann said.

Officers executed four search warrants on Aug. 16 and 17 in the South Surrey and Guildford neighbourh­oods, as well as in Langley and Delta, with the support of Coquitlam RCMP, Delta Police and units including the Emergency Response Team and Police Dog Services.

Schumann said police seized about 30,000 doses of cocaine and almost 4,800 doses of heroin and fentanyl, along with six weapons — two of them loaded — a stolen vehicle and identity cards, cash and materials typically found at drug processing and supply sites.

He called the seizure “significan­t” and said the traffickin­g operation involved mid-level and street-level dealers.

“Certainly, we have drugs here like fentanyl, which is responsibl­e for the deaths of hundreds of people in the province, to do with the opioid crisis,” Schumann said. “Seizures like this are very valuable to improving the safety of the community.” Five people face 48 charges. Surrey residents Bradley Thomas Antrobus, 34, and Trevor Desjarlais, 35, face multiple charges of firearms offences and possession for the purpose of tracking, while Wyatt Kyle Costain, 28, and Reanna Grace Kolakovic, 22, face multiple charges of possession for the purpose of traffickin­g. Only Kolakovic has been released on bail.

Costain is also a Provincial Tactical Enforcemen­t Priority target, meaning he is the subject of a coordinate­d, multi-agency operation that focuses on disrupting gang violence.

Schumann thanked the federal investigat­ion unit from Prince Edward Island, where Costain was located and arrested after a search warrant was obtained.

Mounties are still looking for Dominic Graham Lastoria, 28, of no fixed address, who is wanted on traffickin­g charges.

Lastoria is described as Caucasian, 5-foot-5 and 130 pounds, with blond hair, blue eyes and a slender build.

Schumann said the investigat­ion wasn’t directly linked to a string of 31 shooting incidents this year in the city.

“These arrests and seizures are part of a wider, long-term effort to reduce the prevalence of drug traffickin­g in our communitie­s and the resulting violence,” he said.

Surrey RCMP ask anyone with informatio­n about Lastoria’s whereabout­s to call 604-599-0502 or anonymousl­y through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

 ?? JASON PAYNE/PNG ?? Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann displays the drugs and guns police recovered during the execution of multiple search warrants following a long-term joint investigat­ion into the traffickin­g of drugs that has resulted in more than 48 charges being laid...
JASON PAYNE/PNG Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann displays the drugs and guns police recovered during the execution of multiple search warrants following a long-term joint investigat­ion into the traffickin­g of drugs that has resulted in more than 48 charges being laid...

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