2.2 kg of cocaine, 4,200 cartons of illegal cigarettes seized in Edmonton drug bust, man charged

A 50-year-old man has been charged after police seized drugs and illegal cigarettes.

Edmonton police have charged a man after seizing a large amount of cocaine and illegal cigarettes on Jan. 25.

A news release said officers conducted a search warrant at a home in Evansdale in northeast Edmonton following a drug trafficking investigation.

Police located 2.2 kilograms of cocaine, 13 kilograms of phenacetin (a buffing agent), 4,200 cartons of illegal cigarettes and more than $126,000 in cash.

The 50-year-old man faces eight charges including four that are drug trafficking related, three related to the sale of unstamped tobacco and one count of possession of proceeds of crime.

“Often, contraband cigarettes are part of much larger and more harmful criminal activity, including organized crime and drug trafficking,” said Cst. Joshua Hughes in a statement. “In this case, we were able to disrupt an illegal drug operation and lay a number of charges related to cocaine trafficking.”