Edmonton police seize over 66kg of drugs in large-scale investigation

Edmonton police have seized over 66 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin through an investigation in central Edmonton.

The seizure of the drugs was part of an inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation that was started by the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Section (EDGE) in December 2023.

During the investigation, three men were noted to be directly involved in various aspects of the drug trafficking.

Investigators were able to find and locate a storage location for the drugs in a central Edmonton high-rise apartment and executed a search warrant on May 9 at three homes and four vehicles.

From the searches, officers were able to seize the following:

• 55.7 kg of methamphetamine, worth approximately $250,650
• 8.7 kg of cocaine, worth approximately $696,000
• 2.5 kg of fentanyl, worth approximately $300,000
• 83.5 grams of heroin, worth approximately $28,400
• 20 kg of buffing agent
• Five handguns, three of which were loaded at the time of seizure and two of which had defaced serial numbers. Two were also reported stolen in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and one originated from the U.S.
• Four vehicles with hidden compartments
• Approximately $20,000 in various currency

“This investigation is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, seizure of controlled substances in EPS history,” says Staff Sgt. David Paton with the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Section.

“Intercepting this huge volume of extremely harmful street drugs before they wreak havoc in our city is a rewarding outcome for our investigators, who have worked tirelessly for months on this operation.”

Since, police say 29-year-old Jesse Koble is facing 27 charges, 31-year-old Mitchell Steeg is facing nine, and 34-year-old Steven Santillana is facing two. All 38 combined charges are for drug and firearm-related charges.