Lethbridge drug bust nets man linked to Winnipeg street gang
Corey Amyotte, 28, was arrested at a downtown Lethbridge hotel along with 4 others
Already facing trafficking charges in Lethbridge, a man with ties to a Winnipeg-based street gang was arrested this week as part of an Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams investigation into the drug trade in the southern Alberta city and on the nearby Blood First Nation Reserve.
Corey Amyotte, 33, an alleged member of the Mad Cowz gang, was arrested Wednesday at a downtown Lethbridge hotel along with four others — Harmeet Singh Bhachu, 24, from Calgary, Brittany Bird, 25, from Lethbridge, Tara Lynn Gearo, 35, from Calgary and Coral Olivos, 26, from Calgary.
Two vehicles were also searched and one was seized.
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Roughly $100,000 worth of drugs was found during the searches, including:
- 51 fentanyl pills.
- Half a gram of suspected carfentanil.
- 24 grams of crack cocaine.
- 23 grams of methamphetamine.
- 48 codeine pills.
- Three oxycodone pills.
- 18 grams of a suspected buffing agent.
- $1,875 cash proceeds of crime.
The arrests were the result of information gathered by Blood Tribe Police.
Amyotte is charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and two counts of breach of recognizance.
The breaches relate to a 2016 arrest when Amyotte was charged along with two others after police seized 777 fentanyl pills.
His trial on that matter is scheduled to begin in two weeks.
"Timely intelligence sharing between our agencies was a key factor in making a quick arrest," said ALERT Lethbridge Staff Sgt. Jason Walper, referring to the latest arrests.
"Given the recent concerns related to fentanyl overdoses in both communities, we are not willing to take any chances and will aggressively pursue drug dealers."
Emergency crews in Lethbridge responded to an alarming number of overdose calls in recent weeks, including 16 on a single day last Friday — which was the highest volume crews have ever seen in a single day, Deputy Chief Dana Terry of Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services told CBC News.