Tac team rappels into suite – Police seize hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, handguns and vehicles

By SARAH KENNEDY, CALGARY SUN

With some TAC team members rappelling down a 27-storey building and others storming through hallways, a luxury condo was busted by police who seized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, handguns and vehicles.

The bust — the result of a three month investigation — happened Thursday evening in a condo at 920 5 Ave. S.W. where three people were arrested.

Inside the upscale suite, cops seized $143,000 worth of cocaine, $11,000 worth of ecstasy, four handguns which had been reported stolen from homes in Okotoks and Cochrane, a 2005 Mercedez Benz, valued at $130,000 and a $110,000 Hummer H2.

Insp. Rob Williams said today it’s the first time the TAC team has used their rappelling training in action.

Williams said the officers rapelled to ensure the suspects didn’t throw any of the weapons or drugs out the windows.

“It was to help contain the premise,” he said.

The handguns have been sent for ballistic testing to see if they have been involved in any of the city’s unsolved shootings or murders, said Williams.

“It’s significant that we’ve got a guy living a high-end lifestyle, in a luxury condo and that we’ve taken him off the street,” he said.

“It’s also significant to get those guns and drugs off the street.”

Williams said the bust isn’t the average street level seizures officers in Dist. 4 are accustomed to.

“This isn’t a street-level crack house in some rundown neighbourhood,” he said.

“This was a high-lifestyle seizure.”

Williams credits the recent arrests and another significant bust last week in the neighbourhood of Douglas Glen to increased cooperation between the community policing bureau headed by Dep. Chief Peter Davison and the support section bureau, that includes the drug and gang units, run by Dep. Chief Dean Young.

Williams said the sharing of information, has allowed street-level officers to make more significant arrests.

“That’s where these successes are coming from,” he said.

“We are working more closely together than ever before.”

[the accused], 26, faces 27 charges including weapons offences; [the accused], 24, faces three drug charges and four charges have been laid against [the accused], 38.