A Creston man surrendered to police after a six-hour standoff on Wednesday, after he had barricaded himself inside a Creston residence during a massive drug seizure operation, according to police.
On Dec. 20, at approximately 11 a.m., the Creston RCMP and Southeast District Containment Team initiated an operational plan that saw multiple search warrants executed in the Creston area, according to a news release from the RCMP.
“Of note and visible to the public, was the execution of a Search Warrant granted under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for offences related to possession of drugs and drug trafficking,” reads a section of the release.
As officers served the search warrant at a location near the Highway 3 and Highway 3A junction, a suspect barricaded himself inside the residence subject to the search warrant.
A 50-year-old Creston man, who is known to police and has a history of violence and weapons offences, refused to leave or surrender to officers. The Southeast District Emergency Response Team was also deployed.
After a standoff lasting nearly six hours, the man surrendered himself and was brought into custody unharmed, according to police.
“The equipment, technology, and skillsets that come with the Emergency Response Team, greatly aid in ensuring the public’s safety, the safety of our officers, and the safety of the alleged offender,” said Staff-Sgt. Brandon Buliziuk.
“This was a situation where patience, the use of de-escalation techniques and intervention equipment, succeeded in bringing the matter to a conclusion without harm being caused to any person.”
Simultaneous to the search warrant execution, a traffic stop was also conducted relating to trafficking of controlled drugs and substances. Two Creston women aged 47 and 30 were arrested while the vehicle in question was seized and subject to an additional search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Police say quantities of varying illicit drugs including opioids, as well as weapons, were seized during the execution of the search warrants. Police add that the investigations remain ongoing and all information will be forwarded to prosecution services for the assessment of and laying of charges at the discretion of the Crown.
“We recognize that there are many vulnerable people in our society that are targeted by drug traffickers, specifically with opioids,” Buliziuk said. “It is a priority for us to target those opioid traffickers through our enforcement initiatives and to limit the availability of illicit street level drugs in our communities.