61 charges laid against 6 men after B.C. drug trafficking investigation

Drugs, cash, weapons and equipment seized by police. (Chilliwack RCMP handout)

More than five dozen charges have been approved in connection to a Lower Mainland drug trafficking investigation that yielded a massive seizure of drugs and cash back in April 2024.

Mounties seized more than half a million dollars in cash in co-ordinated searches of homes and vehicles in Chilliwack, Vancouver, Surrey and Langley. They also seized more than 49 kilograms of drugs, four handguns, three long guns and multiple vehicles, police said at the time.

• Read more: 7 arrests announced after Mounties seize more than 49 kg of drugs, $500,000

The Chilliwack RCMP Drug Section led the investigation, which began in July 2023 and stretched through the April 2024 searches.

On Thursday, the detachment announced that the Public Prosecution Service of Canada had approved charges against six men as a result of the investigation.

A total of 61 charges were laid, according to Chilliwack RCMP.

Preston Lahmer, 35, was charged with 14 counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possessing a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm and two counts of possessing a non-restricted firearm without a licence.

John Graeme McGinty, also 35, was charged with 13 counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possessing a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm and two counts of possessing a non-restricted firearm without a licence.

The rest of the charges were for trafficking cocaine. Ten counts were laid against 40-year-old Ricky Bastiampillai, nine against 41-year-old Mike Vendouris, five against 22-year-old Jacob Fleming and two against 22-year-old Caiden Phillips.

Online court records associated with the case indicate none of the six men are in custody. Lahmer and McGinty do not appear to have made any appearances on the charges, and none are listed as scheduled.

Asked for more information, the PPSC told CTV News via email that neither Lahmer nor McGinty has been arrested since the charges were laid.

“The warrants remain outstanding,” the service said.

Court dates have been scheduled for the remaining four accused. Vendouris is next due in Surrey provincial court on Feb. 13, while the other three are scheduled to appear in Chilliwack, Phillips on Feb. 18, Bastiampillai on Feb. 26 and Fleming on March 6.