Surrey man arrested with multiple kilograms of drugs faces trafficking charges: CFSEU

Police shared this image of the items seized during the traffic stop. (CFSEU)

A Surrey man has been charged with several drug trafficking offences nearly a year after he was arrested during a traffic stop in Maple Ridge.

Last week, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved six charges against 31-year-old Nawfal Maher, according to a news release from B.C.’s anti-gang police unit.

The charges stem from an investigation launched by the Uniform Gang Enforcement Team – part of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. – on Aug. 24, 2024.

On that date, officers attempted a traffic stop in Maple Ridge “involving a vehicle known to have previously evaded police,” the CFSEU said in its release.

The driver fled on foot, but was soon arrested. When police searched his person and the vehicle, they found more than a kilogram of fentanyl, 790 grams of cocaine, 337 grams of methamphetamine, almost two kilograms of a “buffing/cutting agent,” 26 grams of pills containing buprenorphine, and more than $40,000 in cash, according to the CFSEU.

Officers seized all of those items, as well as the vehicle, a Dodge Durango.

On Aug. 15 of this year, prosecutors approved the following charges against Maher:

• Three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking fentanyl
• One count of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine
• One count of possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine
• One count of flight from police

He was arrested and later released on what police called “strict conditions,” including a nightly curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Online court records indicate Maher’s next appearance is scheduled for Aug. 27 in Port Coquitlam.

“This investigation highlights the proactive work of our Uniform Gang Enforcement Team, who are strategically deployed to disrupt gang activity before it escalates,” said Cpl. Sarbjit K. Sangha, in the release.

“By taking harmful drugs and illicit cash off the street, UGET sends a clear message that drug traffickers will face enforcement and accountability.”