Two men have been arrested and charged following a joint investigation into marijuana trafficking in the Prince Albert area.
On Monday, P.A. RCMP and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) searched a storage locker in the city, finding a significant amount of marijuana.
A follow-up investigation led them to a potential suspect from Saskatoon.
Then, with the assistance of Saskatoon’s CFSEU, they searched three Saskatoon residences and another storage locker. In total, they found roughly half-a-million dollars worth of cannabis.
Two men have been charged—Aurel Pintea, age 55, and Laszlo Ciupac, 51.
Neither have a license for medical marijuana or to distribute the drug now that it’s legal to use recreationally.
Specifically, they seized 4244 individual packages of cannabis resin (shatter) with a street value between $275,000 and $290,000, 26.5 pounds of cannabis with a street value between $200,000 and $230,000, 31 syringes of cannabis resin with a street value of $3100, one ounce of crack cocaine with a street value of $2000, a Ruger .357 handgun and $4700 in cash.
Both men are facing nine charges:
- unlawfully possess a controlled substance (cannabis)
- unlawfully possess a controlled substance (cocaine)
- possession of property obtained by crime
- careless storage of a restricted weapon
- careless storage of an ammunition sect
- possession of a restricted weapon dangerous to the public peace
- possess a restricted firearm without a license
- possess a restricted firearm with readily accessible ammunition
- possession of restricted weapon knowing it was obtained by commission of an offence
Additionally, Pintea is charged with:
- possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking (cannabis)
- possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking (cannabis resin)
Both appear in Saskatoon Provincial Court on Monday, Oct. 22.
