Two Sylvan Lake residents are facing drug trafficking and weapons charges following a month-long RCMP investigation.
Sylvan Lake RCMP General Investigation Section began looking into a drug complaint at the end of March. On April 23, a search warrant was executed at a residence in Sylvan Lake.
During the search, several items were seized including what is believed to be: 170 grams of cocaine, 26 grams of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 66 grams of psilocybin mushrooms.
Police also located and seized a firearm, drug trafficking paraphernalia and about $2,000 in Canadian currency.
Darren Ballentine, 53, and Marie Gosselin, 40, both from Sylvan Lake charged with two counts each of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of stolen property and single counts of possession of an illegal substance, unsafe storage of a firearm and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
“Those that choose to traffic illicit drugs and participate in criminal activities are destroying lives and impact the safety and security of our communities,” says Staff Sgt. Jeff McBeth, detachment commander at Sylvan Lake RCMP. “Every seizure we make plays a significant part in making our streets safer.”
If you have any information about this, or any other crime, call the Sylvan Lake RCMP at 403-858-7200 or call your local police detachment. To remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or by internet at www.crimestoppers.ab.ca.