RCMP in the Battlefords seized these four illegal guns along with about 17 pounds of cocaine and other items. ( submitted/RCMP)

By Susan McNeil

Drug bust

17 pounds of cocaine, four guns seized by RCMP and Edmonton police

Feb 10, 2023 | 3:35 PM

Drug trafficking in Battlefords and some in Edmonton have taken a big hit with the seizure of 17 pounds of cocaine, some illegally held handguns, Xanax, pre-rolled joints, almost 900 cartons of cigarettes, cash, and a cutting agent for the cocaine.

More than 25 charges have now been laid against six people in the North Battleford area along with two others who were connected in Edmonton.

“Through their work, a significant trafficking operation in the Battlefords has been dismantled. Between here and in Edmonton, we’ve taken eight kilograms of cocaine off the street. We’ve kept hundreds of thousands of dollars out of criminal hands – but even more importantly, the flow of dangerous drugs in our communities has been severed,” said Sgt. Adam Buckingham, who oversees the Gang Task Force (GTF).

Operation Falter, as the investigation was dubbed, started last August with officers monitoring suspects.

They found the drugs in Battlefords were coming from Edmonton and dispersed with a phone-in delivery system.

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On Feb. 2, a planned bust was carried out by the Battlefords GTF and partners such as the provincial General Investigation Section (GIS), the Warrant Enforcement Response Team (WEST), police dog units, and their counterparts in Edmonton and Strathcona.

Officers stopped two on-shift delivery vehicles in Battlefords while at the same time, multiple search warrants were carried out on homes in Battlefords and Edmonton.

In total, Saskatchewan officers seized nearly 8 kilograms of suspected cocaine; 281 grams of Xanax tablets; more than 5,000 pre-rolled cannabis joints; 898 cartons of contraband cigarettes; more than 10 kilograms of cutting agent; a large sum of cash; and four illegally-possessed handguns.

A seizure following a months-long drug trafficking investigation in Battlefords (submitted/RCMP)

The following charges are laid against Daniel Norgaard, 34, and Andrew Koberinski, 27, from North Battleford:

– one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine)

– one count, unauthorized possession of a loaded restricted firearm

– one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose

– one count, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number

– one count, unlicensed possession of a firearm

– one count, unsafe storage of a firearm

– one count, possession of the proceeds of crime exceeding $5,000,

Daniel Norgaard is also charged with three counts of failure to comply with a release order condition. Andrew Koberinski is also charged with four counts of failure to comply with a release order condition.

Delia Bull, 20, and Shae Laliberte, 24, from North Battleford are each charged with:

– one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine)

– one count, trafficking (cocaine)

Zhakary Night, 21, and Olja Budinski, 22, from North Battleford are each charged with one count, trafficking (cocaine).

In Edmonton, police arrested Adam Salah Johma, 53 and another unnamed 34-year-old man.

Combined they face 102 charges that include possession for the purpose of trafficking and multiple gun-related charges.

Edmonton Police say that over $930,000 in drugs and cash were taken from two homes during the investigation.

A vacant home in Glenora was being used to store the drugs and guns.

Edmonton City Police seized these guns and drugs in warrants executed simultaneously with those in Battlefords. (submitted/EPS)

During the searches, police found a variety of drugs, cash and firearms including:

-8.5 kg of cocaine (approximate street value $585,000)

-Over 11,000 Xanax pills (approximate street value $234,000)

-More than 250 oxycodone pills (approximate street value $7,100)

-Psilocybin (approximate street value $1,800)

-Cannabis gummies (approximate street value $5,000)

-24 kg cocaine buffing agent (approximate street value $96,000)

-Approximately $3,100 in cash

-8 handguns

-Numerous high-capacity magazines with over 1400 rounds of ammunition

Two of the guns were stolen and two had been smuggled into Canada. One of the smuggled guns was linked to an Edmonton homicide from November 2021 and one gun had a 3D-printed framed and was converted to be fully automatic.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com