Red Deer RCMP seized more than a kilogram of suspected fentanyl during an investigation that began with a traffic stop on 30th Avenue.
One of the two men charged has since missed his court date, and a warrant has been issued.
What was seized
The investigation started on July 2, when police conducted the traffic stop and arrested a male passenger. Officers then executed a search warrant at a residence in the Lancaster neighbourhood.
Over July 2 and 3, the Red Deer RCMP Crime Reduction Team, assisted by the General Investigative Section, seized:
1,127 grams of suspected fentanyl
334 grams of suspected cocaine
24.1 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine
One litre of suspected GHB
$15,000 in Canadian currency
Police also seized drug trafficking materials including scales and packaging.
Who is charged
Japinderjeet Singh, 22, of Calgary, is charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. He was released on conditions and was scheduled to appear in court last week.
Ravinder Singh Gosal, 23, of Surrey, B.C., faces the same charges. He failed to attend court in Red Deer on July 23, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
If you know where Gosal is
Contact Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2200.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app.
A Calgary man and a Surrey man, charged in Red Deer
The geography is the part worth noticing.
Red Deer sits at the midpoint of the QEII, between Calgary and Edmonton, and that position shows up repeatedly in its drug files. In 2019, three men from British Columbia were charged in what was then the largest fentanyl seizure in the city's history.
Former mayor Tara Veer named the pattern at the time. Red Deer is a regional hub city, central on the QEII corridor between two major Canadian urban centres, she said, and that geographic fact intensifies the tensions the city experiences around crime and public safety.
Neither accused in this case is from Red Deer.
The scale of it
A kilogram of fentanyl is a large seizure for a city of 100,000.
For comparison, ALERT seized 2,170 grams of suspected fentanyl in Red Deer in 2022 and valued it at roughly $375,000. A Red Deer investigation last October turned up about three kilograms, and RCMP said at the time that an individual working alone wouldn't have that quantity, and that at that level there are always connections to organized crime.
Police have not said whether they believe this seizure connects to a larger organization.
The Crime Reduction Team
The unit that ran this file exists specifically for it.
Alberta RCMP has made fentanyl and opioids a provincial priority, and Crime Reduction Teams were created as part of that, running intelligence-led operations aimed at prolific offenders rather than responding to calls.
Red Deer's CRT has been behind several of the city's larger drug files over the past two years.
Reporting suspicious activity
Red Deer RCMP encourage the public to report suspicious behaviour promptly, saying it supports faster police responses and ongoing investigations.
Information about crime in Red Deer goes to 403-406-2200. Anonymous tips go to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at P3Tips.com, or through the P3 Tips app.
Sources
Red Deer RCMP news release
Alberta RCMP, Crime Reduction Team mandate
Seizure figures and charge details as reported by the Red Deer Advocate. Court date detail as reported by Global News.
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