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Calgary man alleged kingpin of international crime network after record drug bust
Warren Lowe faces 23 charges related to drug trafficking and organized crime
CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2019 11:34 AM MT | Last Updated: an hour ago
These fentanyl pills, stacks of cash and cocaine bricks were just some of the items seized after a two-year investigation by Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies. (ALERT)
Alberta police and U.S. officials have pulled off a record drug bust, seizing millions of dollars worth of drugs, cash and guns, and charging a Calgary man alleged to be at the centre of a massive drug network.
More than $15-million worth of drugs, roughly $4.5 million in cash and assets and 13 firearms were seized through Project Coyote, a two-year investigation led by Calgary officers, said Dwayne Lakusta, head of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
Lakusta said at a news conference Thursday the bust includes what is believed to be the largest fentanyl seizure in Canada.
ALERT alleges that the man at the centre of this drug scheme is Warren Lowe, 53, of Calgary.
In February 2018, ALERT received a tip that allowed them to find and seize 250,000 fentanyl pills from a downtown Calgary apartment. At the time, no one was home and no arrests were made.
Officials later identified a major cocaine distribution line and importation scheme that extended south of the border, said ALERT Calgary Acting Insp. Shawn Wallace.
ALERT Acting Insp. Shawn Wallace says this is the most complex investigation he has ever been a part of in his 22 years of policing. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
With the help of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas, an 81-kilogram shipment of cocaine was intercepted in Houston on May 18.
A Calgary woman, Elizabeth Fisher, 49, was arrested at the time and remains in a Texas prison. She is due to appear in court on March 2 and a Canadian warrant has been applied for her arrest.
That cocaine seizure and arrest was the catalyst for police to execute search warrants and arrests in Canada.
"We were not satisfied arresting the couriers, the mules. We wanted the financiers, the heads of the organization and the people calling the shots," said Wallace.
Wallace said the agency alleges Lowe oversaw this extensive drug network, which spanned from British Columbia to Ontario and established cocaine supply lines.
Lowe is now facing 23 charges related to organized crime, drugs and firearms.
These are some of the firearms that ALERT seized during the course of the investigation. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
Joint agency effort
More than 30 search warrants were executed over the course of the investigation, and the most recent arrest took place Oct. 3.
Seven people have been arrested and are facing 77 criminal charges so far, according to ALERT:
The investigation was a joint effort involving the Calgary Police Service, the RCMP, the DEA, the Canada Revenue Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and several regional Canadian law enforcement agencies from B.C. to Ontario.
The investigation is still ongoing, and additional arrests and charges may be forthcoming.
ALERT was established and is funded by the Government of Alberta and primarily investigates serious and organized crime.
Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Warren Lowe faces 23 charges related to drug trafficking and organized crime
CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2019 11:34 AM MT | Last Updated: an hour ago
These fentanyl pills, stacks of cash and cocaine bricks were just some of the items seized after a two-year investigation by Canadian and U.S. law enforcement agencies. (ALERT)
Alberta police and U.S. officials have pulled off a record drug bust, seizing millions of dollars worth of drugs, cash and guns, and charging a Calgary man alleged to be at the centre of a massive drug network.
More than $15-million worth of drugs, roughly $4.5 million in cash and assets and 13 firearms were seized through Project Coyote, a two-year investigation led by Calgary officers, said Dwayne Lakusta, head of Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
Lakusta said at a news conference Thursday the bust includes what is believed to be the largest fentanyl seizure in Canada.
ALERT alleges that the man at the centre of this drug scheme is Warren Lowe, 53, of Calgary.
In February 2018, ALERT received a tip that allowed them to find and seize 250,000 fentanyl pills from a downtown Calgary apartment. At the time, no one was home and no arrests were made.
Officials later identified a major cocaine distribution line and importation scheme that extended south of the border, said ALERT Calgary Acting Insp. Shawn Wallace.
ALERT Acting Insp. Shawn Wallace says this is the most complex investigation he has ever been a part of in his 22 years of policing. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
With the help of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas, an 81-kilogram shipment of cocaine was intercepted in Houston on May 18.
A Calgary woman, Elizabeth Fisher, 49, was arrested at the time and remains in a Texas prison. She is due to appear in court on March 2 and a Canadian warrant has been applied for her arrest.
That cocaine seizure and arrest was the catalyst for police to execute search warrants and arrests in Canada.
"We were not satisfied arresting the couriers, the mules. We wanted the financiers, the heads of the organization and the people calling the shots," said Wallace.
Wallace said the agency alleges Lowe oversaw this extensive drug network, which spanned from British Columbia to Ontario and established cocaine supply lines.
Lowe is now facing 23 charges related to organized crime, drugs and firearms.
These are some of the firearms that ALERT seized during the course of the investigation. (Justin Pennell/CBC)
Joint agency effort
More than 30 search warrants were executed over the course of the investigation, and the most recent arrest took place Oct. 3.
Seven people have been arrested and are facing 77 criminal charges so far, according to ALERT:
- Warren Lowe, a 53-year-old man from Calgary.
- Elizabeth Fisher, a 49-year-old woman from Calgary.
- Richard Fisher, a 44-year-old man from Calgary.
- Emanuel Amha, a 30-year-old man from Calgary.
- Olivier Kenge, a 52-year-old man from Calgary.
- Cole Leblanc, a 30-year-old man from Calgary.
- Victoria Pon, a 29-year-old woman from Vancouver.
The investigation was a joint effort involving the Calgary Police Service, the RCMP, the DEA, the Canada Revenue Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and several regional Canadian law enforcement agencies from B.C. to Ontario.
The investigation is still ongoing, and additional arrests and charges may be forthcoming.
ALERT was established and is funded by the Government of Alberta and primarily investigates serious and organized crime.
Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
