Three charged in $500,000 drug bust

Three people have been charged following a recent drug bust valued at close to $500,000 on the city’s westside.

On March 9, following a sixmonth investigation, members of the Lethbridge Police Service Patrol Operations Division executed a search warrant on a home along Lafayette Boulevard. Police seized 29 pounds of marijuana, four pounds of marijuana resin, seven pounds of psilocybin, 400 bottles of liquid THC, 136 tabs of LSD, as well as hashish, four pounds of marijuana candy, and more than $121,000 cash proceeds of crime.

A GMC Sierra was also seized. Three people were located inside the home and taken into custody without incident. The cash and drugs seized total approximately $475,000.

“This is another significant seizure for the city of Lethbridge, and certainly following closely on that $1 million drug bust in February,” said Kristen Harding of the LPS.

“It is something that should be a concern to the community.”

Harding described the three accused as “mid-level” drug dealers.

She said while police are still investigating, it is possible there could be connections to other large drug busts announced in the city recently.

“There are a lot of connections in the drug trade,” she said. “It’s certainly a possibility.”

Tyler Dean Petryshyn, 35, of Lethbridge, is charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

Jolene Raygen Burge, 31, of Lethbridge, is charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

Jeffrey Michael George Seniec, 30, of Lethbridge, is charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

“The message we hope the community will take away from this — particularly those individuals engaged in the drug trade — is that we will continue to target their activity in order to disrupt and dismantle their operations,” Harding said.

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Herald photo by Tijana Martin @TMartinHerald Kristen Harding, executive officer with LPS, points out some of the drugs that were seized from a west side home last week. Approximately $475,000 of drugs and proceeds of crime were removed from the home and three people have been charged.