Sask. gov’t touts work of crime reduction, trafficking response teams

Police officers across Saskatchewan seized more than six kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly two kilos of cocaine and 88 guns during busts in the province in the last quarter of 2023.

In a media release Monday, the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety said the RCMP’s Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST), Crime Reduction Team (CRT) and Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT) seized more than 840 grams of meth, 670 grams of cocaine, 50 grams of fentanyl and 46 firearms between August and November of last year.

“Because of these teams, there are fewer drugs, guns and criminals in our communities,” ​Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman said in a release touting the province’s funding of the teams. “We are proud to invest in and be grateful for the work of these units, whose tremendous efforts continue to make our communities safer.”

In another release, the ministry said CRTs and STRTs from municipal police forces in the province seized more than 5,400 grams of meth, 1,300 grams of cocaine, 1,600 grams of fentanyl, 42 firearms and more than $57,000 in cash between September and December.

“The incredible work of these police officers is having a tangible impact in Saskatchewan communities,” Merriman said. “With fewer guns, drugs and violent offenders on our streets as a result of their efforts, they continue to help make our communities a safer place to live, work and play.”

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The Mounties’ CRTs target street gangs and prolific offenders. From August through November, CRTs executed 47 search warrants and 137 arrest warrants, and made 184 arrests.

The RCMP’s WEST teams — which operate out of Prince Albert and another jointly between Saskatoon and Meadow Lake — focus on high-profile offenders who represent a threat to public safety. Between August and November, WEST executed 14 search warrants and 19 arrest warrants, and made 20 arrests.

The STRT, which investigates drug, weapon and human trafficking, laid 16 Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act charges and executed 41 search warrants from August through November.

According to the ministry, the municipal police-based CRTs and STRTs executed a total of 44 search warrants and laid 203 Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act charges between September and December.

The municipal CRTs, which target street gangs and prolific offenders, operate in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

The police forces’ STRTs investigate the trafficking of drugs, weapons and people. Between September and December, municipal STRTs — which also operate out of Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert — opened 28 human trafficking files and initiated 61 human trafficking interventions.