Home invasion suspects in court
A duo facing charges after two home invasions last summer have had their matters put over to March 15.Two men are charged in connection with two home invasion instances that took place over the summer in the Sturgeon County communities of Riverstone and Pinnacle Ridge.
On July 11, a man who does not want to be named for fear of his safety, said that three masked men robbed his home in Pinnacle Ridge just outside of St. Albert while holding him at gunpoint and threatening to kill him. The men arrived at around 6:30 p.m. and entered the garage where the man was working.
The man said that the one man held him at gunpoint while he was taken to several rooms in his house while two other men ransacked his house looking for valuables.
On July 5, five masked men entered an open garage in Riverstone and took items from the master bedroom while the homeowner was downstairs resting. The homeowner did not see or hear the men but security camera footage recorded the five men entering and leaving the garage.
On Nov. 24, Elia Michael Zahara, 18, of Edmonton was arrested and charged with 19 Criminal Code offences including break, enter and commit theft, wearing a disguise and several firearm offences. Of these 19 charges, three of them stem from the July 5 incident and the rest are from the July 11 incident.
Following a bail hearing, Zahara was remanded in custody.
Matthew Wagner, 20, of Edmonton was also arrested in connection with the July 11 incident and was charged with multiple Criminal Code offences including break, enter and commit theft, wearing a disguise and several firearm offences.
Both men are slated to appear in the provincial court in Morinville on Thursday. Zahara is set to enter an election and plea while Wagner has already scheduled a preliminary hearing for Aug. 15.
Charges put over for largest fentanyl bust
Four men who are facing charges in the largest fentanyl bust in Canadian history, which involved a home in Sturgeon County, have put their matters over to March 20 in Edmonton.
The charges were laid three months after RCMP and Edmonton Police Services shut down a fentanyl trafficking ring, which included a home located at 26023 Township Road 544 in Sturgeon County. Police seized $4.3 million in drugs. The owner of the home, Phat Vuong, is not facing any charges.
Landen Robert Wisbey, 33, has been charged with production of a controlled substance, six counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime. Wisbey was granted bail on Nov. 6.
Wayne Bao Tran, 31, has been charged with production of a controlled substance, three counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of possession of the proceeds of crime. Tran was granted bail on Nov. 7.
Dennis Trinh, 34, has been charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime. Trinh was granted bail on Nov. 6.
Thinh Dinh, 29, has been charged with five counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. Dinh was granted bail on Nov. 6.
All four will appear again on Dec. 10 to enter pleas and elections at the Edmonton Provincial Court.
Police would not disclose what community the four men charged are from.
