Police display guns, drugs seized from four homes

Edmonton police rounded up more than $300,000 worth of guns, drugs, and stolen property from four city homes the past two weeks.

About a dozen firearms, including a fully automatic MAC 10 machine gun and a .22 calibre rifle with a homemade silencer, were displayed on a table at police headquarters on Friday, along with bags of fentanyl pills and other drugs.

“This is the reality of the drug trafficking sub-culture and the intimidation and violence that goes with it,” said Sgt. Rich DeJong of the drug and gang enforcement unit.

It is unusual for officers to seize so many items in such a short time, DeJong said. The four investigations were not related.

Police in the past two years have seen a spike in the number of drug traffickers using weapons to invade the homes of other drug traffickers.

“This falls in line with that,” he said. “And all four of these arrests occurred in residential neighbourhoods where families reside.”

Children were in two of the four homes.

The investigations have resulted in more than 150 drug and firearm-related charges against seven people.

The busts included: April 17 near 126th Avenue and 70th Street : A 38-yearold man and a 32-year-old woman are facing a combined total of 60 firearm and child protection charges. The couple is not being identified to protect the identities of their children. April 24 near 25th Avenue and 50th Street : A 30-yearold man and 26-year-old woman are facing more than 30 offences. In addition, the woman was charged under Drug Endangered Children’s Act legislation for having a child in a dangerous environment. April 25 near Richfield Road in Mill Woods : Nathaniel Bradley De Vries, 23, is facing drug and firearm-related offences and breach of existing conditions. April 30 near 96th Avenue and 156th Street : Kristopher Renz, 29, and Christopher Brown are charged with several firearm offences and offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.