Cocaine and Fentanyl Seized in Grande Prairie

Grande Prairie… Nearly two kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,800 fentanyl tablets were located in a Grande Prairie home following a five-month investigation by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).

ALERT Grande Prairie made one of the largest drug seizures in the city’s history on October 23rd after executing a search warrant at a Grande Prairie home. Nearly a quarter million dollars’ worth of drugs was seized, including ALERT’s largest fentanyl seizure.

The results of the search warrant at the southeast Grande Prairie home included:

• 1.8 kilograms of cocaine;
• 1,866 tablets of fentanyl;
• 21 tablets of oxycodone;
• $1,800 in cash proceeds of crime;
• Two long guns and a replica firearms.

ALERT also located a cocaine press, various chemical additives, a money counter and other evidence of drug trafficking.

The fentanyl seizure is the largest of its kind by ALERT. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid painkiller that has recently been blamed in a series of overdose deaths in British Columbia.

Mark Richard Phillips, 26, was arrested at the time of the search warrant and is facing four drug-related charges. The investigation into Phillips alleged drug trafficking began in May 2014.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. Nearly 400 municipal police, RCMP, and sheriffs work in ALERT.