Edmonton Police Service officers arrested a 26-year-old man in St. Albert last week and seized drugs, handguns, body armour and roughly $20,000 cash.
The Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Unit carried out the arrest in St. Albert after an investigation lead them to him, but police had little information about the details of that investigation.
Police first conducted a traffic stop in the city and they found cash and cocaine in the vehicle. They then obtained search warrants for another vehicle, a St. Albert home and a storage locker.
Between those searches, they found the two handguns and many rounds of ammunition for them.
Jason Nicholson, 26, is now facing charges of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by a commission of an offence over $5,000 and numerous firearms offences.
Police spokesperson Patrycia Thenu said the St. Albert RCMP detachment was not involved in the operations, because the investigation began in Edmonton.
“I am not aware of them being involved because the crimes took place here in Edmonton,” Thenu said.
Edmonton crime has received a lot of attention over the past weeks, mostly because of this year’s higher-than-average number of homicides. The officer in charge of the unit said this sort of case helps reduce the risk of violence.
“Getting these drugs and weapons off the streets of Edmonton will help build safer communities,” says Insp. Greg Preston with the EPS Organized Crime Branch in a press release. “These arrests are a prime example of how our officers are targeting organized crime.”
