Drug bust in Surrey, B.C., leads to charges, deportations of foreign nationals

Detectives executed a search warrant at a home in Surrey, B.C., with assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency and the heavily armed Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team. (Handout)

Police in Surrey, B.C., say a foreign national is facing charges and two others have been deported after investigators seized nearly $900,000 worth of illicit drugs, including opium, heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.

The three men were arrested and the drugs were seized at the culmination of a four-month investigation into drug trafficking in the region, the Surrey Police Service announced Monday.

Police say Project Phantom was launched in February as investigators with the department’s prolific-offender unit gathered evidence linking fentanyl trafficking to a group of men associated with a Surrey residence.

On May 21, detectives executed a search warrant at the home with assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency and the heavily armed Lower Mainland District Emergency Response Team.

The three men, who police identified as foreign nationals, were arrested during the raid.

Police say the search turned up approximately 15.9 kilograms of opium, 1.53 kilograms of cannabis, 559 grams of cocaine, 468 grams of fentanyl, 148 grams of methamphetamine and 35 grams of heroin.

Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at $891,000, adding drug-processing and distribution materials were also seized. Police said the amount of fentanyl recovered is equivalent to approximately 23,400 potentially lethal doses.

Gurjot Singh, 24, was charged on June 19 with five five counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and one count of trafficking in a controlled substance, according to police.

Singh remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on June 26.

The two other men have not been charged with any offences and have since been removed from Canada by the CBSA.