REGINA - Five people have been arrested in a drug bust operation conducted by the Regina Police Service (RPS), which led to approximately $1.5 million worth of assets being seized.
Insp. Gary Giroux spoke to the media about the details of the operation.
"Late last week, [on] Feb. 20th and 21st, our drug and gang units did encounter enforcement action on eight locations, five being residents, one in Alameda, one in Frobisher, and three in Regina, as well as three vehicles," he said.
The operation lasted through the night going into the 21st, with other local authorities and SWAT members involved as well.
"There were search warrants that were executed on those three vehicles and those five locations, which resulted in the seizure of a significant amount of illicit drugs."
Those drugs include 7.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 476 grams of cocaine and 22 grams of methamphetamine.
Giroux confirmed that the fentanyl did come from out of province, referencing Eastern Canada. Regarding the specific location of the drugs, Giroux said that information would be provided in a disclosure package.
He also emphasized the importance of getting these drugs out of the hands of the community. "I can tell you if you were to look at [the] street level, that's 75,000 doses [of drugs]. So 75,000 people in our community and maybe some surrounding communities do not have access to that now."
Drugs in communities have been a big talking point regarding the Canada/U.S. border, as U.S. President Donald Trump cited fentanyl coming into the country as the reason behind proposing tariffs on Canada.
Responding to a question about whether the drugs would have been smuggled into the U.S., Giroux wouldn't speak on that.
This isn’t the first major drug bust the RPS has handled recently. Back in Sept., the RPS seized approximately $900,000 worth of illegal drugs, which included around 6.3 kilograms of fentanyl.
Giroux spoke about the recent occurrence of major drug busts. "I think with the number of seizures and the volume of seizures that we have made, one could assume that it is increasing. Although we do have a limited population here, I'm not sure if individual users are using more or less, but obviously, with the enforcement action, we can say that we're seizing more."
Along with the drugs, other items that were seized included over $150,000 in cash, a prohibited .22 calibre handgun and ammunition, a restricted 9mm handgun and ammunition and three vehicles.
Connection to the U of R
Of the five people arrested, two have been confirmed to have played for the Regina Rams in 2024.
Michael Jourdan and Tarick Polius, both of Toronto, have been charged with multiple offences, including Possession of Proceeds of Crime under $5,000, Possession of Fentanyl for the Purpose of Trafficking, Commission of an Offence for a Criminal Organization and more.
The U of R has since released a statement. "We can confirm Michael Jourdan and Tarick Polius are student athletes enrolled at the University of Regina and played football for the Rams during the 2024 season. Due to the ongoing police investigation, we will not comment on the arrest or the charges. At this time, the individuals are suspended from the football team."
Before joining the Rams, the pair played for the Okanagan Sun in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).
Three other suspects were also arrested in the drug bust:
Thirty-six year-old Emmanuel Ramadan Bashir of Regina, Saskatchewan is charged with:
- Instructing the Commission of an Offence for a Criminal Organization
- 2 x Conspiracy to Traffic a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl and Cocaine)
- 2 x Traffic in a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl and Cocaine)
- Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Possession of Proceeds of Crime Over $5,000
Thirty-two year-old Morteza Ahadi of Alameda, Saskatchewan is charged with :
- Commission of an Offence for a Criminal Organization
- 2 x Conspiracy to Traffic a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl and Cocaine)
- Traffic in a Controlled Substance (Cocaine)
- Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Possession of Fentanyl for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Possession of a Forged Document With Intent
- Possession of Proceeds of Crime Under $5,000
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
- Possession of a Loaded, Prohibited Firearm.
- Careless Storage of a Firearm
Forty-four year-old Randal Lee Racette of Regina, Saskatchewan is charged with:
- Conspiracy to Traffic a Controlled Substance (Fentanyl)
- Possession of Fentanyl for the Purpose of Trafficking
- Possession of Proceeds of Crime Under $5,000
- Possession of a Loaded, Restricted Firearm
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
- Careless Storage of a Firearm
- Possession of a Prohibited Device (Over Capacity Magazine)
All of the suspects made their first court appearance at the Regina Provincial Court on Feb. 21
