Three hand grenades were among the weapons seized in a Red Deer and Sylvan Lake RCMP drug investigation.
Police, equipped with a search warrant, descended on a Sylvan Lake residence June 27, seizing seven firearms, including asssault-style rifles and sawed-off shotguns. They also seized ammunition, body armour, $25,528 in cash, drugs and the hand grenades.
Among the drugs seized were 416 grams of methamphetamine, 17 grams of fentanyl and 1.5 grams of cocaine.
Three people were arrested and are facing nearly three dozen charges.
General investigation section Cpl. Ryan Olson said police routinely find all manner of firearms in drug busts, but the hand grenades are a new twist.
“We have no idea where they came from,” he said.
Wainright-based Canadian Armed Forces members took the hand grenades as a safety precaution and confirmed their authenticity.
The army said the hand grenades were not military-issue weapons, but were capable of exploding, said Olson.
These sorts of weapons can be purchased online, or it’s possible they were traded for drugs.
Olson said the grenade find was kind of a “holy cow” moment for officers.
“The grenades are not something normal.”
“This is another important drug seizure for Red Deer and the surrounding community,” said Staff Sgt. Jay Peden, acting operations support officer for the Red Deer detachment.
“Not only did we disrupt the flow of drugs between two communities, we also uncovered and removed potentially dangerous weapons from the community.”
Emily Jean Herman, 20, and Dallas Anthony Griffin, 31, both of Sylvan Lake, are both facing several charges, including six charges each of careless use of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.
They were released on bail and will appear in Red Deer provincial court on Aug. 1.
Lincoln Capel, 33, of Red Deer, was arrested on outstanding warrants and charged with possession of drugs and failing to comply with a recognizance.
The police investigation was begun on June 18.
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