A B.C. man has been charged with numerous drug and weapons offences in connection with what police believe to be a national trafficking operation.
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved 10 criminal charges against Alexander Demetrios Fasogiannis, a 34-year-old Coquitlam man, on Dec. 13.
He is the first person to be charged in relation to a year-long drug trafficking investigation B.C.’s anti-gang agency, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC), launched at the start of 2021. The unit’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force worked alongside police partners in Manitoba to examine the origins of what they believed to be a Canada-wide operation.
Police zeroed in on four Lower Mainland residences where, after obtaining search warrants, they discovered a hoard of drugs and firearms.
Among the drugs seized were 1 kg of fentanyl and 1713 pills containing fentanyl, 6 kg of methamphetamine, 5 kg of cocaine, 1 kg of MDMA, 2 kg of MDA, 407 tabs of LSD, 6 kg of benzodiazepine and 1 kg of phenacetin. Police also found cutting agents and drug paraphernalia.
They seized 26 firearms in total, four of which were restricted hand guns. Police also took cell phones, computer flash drives, four vehicles, $250,000 in cash and $194,000 in cryptocurrency.
Police arrested three men at that time.
Fasogiannis is due to appear in court on Jan. 8. He faces one count of trafficking fentanyl, two counts of trafficking methamphetamine, one count of possessing cocaine, one count of possessing methamphetamine and five counts of possessing or unlawfully storing firearms.
CFSEU-BC’s Deputy Operations Officer, Supt. Kevin O’Donnell, said their investigation helped to disrupt what they believe to be a cross-Canada drug trafficking operation.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said the BC Prosecution Service approved charges. It was, in fact, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada that did so.
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