Anti-gang police unit nabs firearm, drugs in Kelowna
B.C.’S anti-gang unit targeted the street-level drug trade and local gangs in Kelowna over the long weekend, seizing a firearm, cash and small amounts of cocaine, crystal meth and fentanyl.
Sgt. Brenda Winpenny of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said the agency’s uniformed team worked with Kelowna RCMP to do “enhanced patrols” of local crime hot spots on land and on the lake.
She said that over four days, 125 vehicles were stopped and 75 people were checked, “with the majority of those people connected to the street-level drug trade.”
“Of concern to overall public safety was the seizure of a .308 calibre rifle that had been improperly stored along with other items associated with criminal activity,” Winpenny said.
The unit’s uniformed gang enforcement team focused on “those individuals or groups that may be posing the greatest risk to public safety due to their involvement in gang or organized crime activity,” she said.
The gang officers also went out on the Kelowna RCMP patrol boat “enabling members to conduct a number of vessel checks on the very busy waterway and marinas, providing a high-visibility presence,” Winpenny said.
“In addition, members patrolled the numerous liquor establishments of the area in support of the City of Kelowna Inadmissible Patron Program, resulting in three individuals being asked to leave various establishments.”
Supt. Brent Mundle, the officer in charge of the Kelowna RCMP, said the joint effort of the Lower Mainland-based agency and his local officers “led to many successful outcomes, including effective boat patrols. Proactive operations such as this help us to keep our community safe.”