Two Quesnel men are facing charges after an investigation by the BC RCMP’s Federal Serious Organized Crime Section (FSOC) into an online drug-selling operation.
On March 19, 2014 the Public Prosecution Service of Canada approved 11 charges against Travis James Gaudette, 29, and seven charges against Darryl Arthur Gsudette, 54, the RCMP said in a press release issued Friday.
The charges were all drug-related charges and included the Importation of a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking.
The investigation began in June 2013, when the Prince George FSOC looked into the importation of a controlled substance into Canada.
A package containing 500 grams of Butylone was initially intercepted by the Canada Border Service Agency who in turn advised the RCMP.
The package had originated in Nanjing, China, and was destined for an address in Quesnel, RCMP said.
The initial investigation linked the persons believed responsible for the importation of the Butylone to an internet website that claimed to provide "safe alternatives to party drugs".
On June 20, 2013, members of FSOC, the Quesnel RCMP, and the North District General Investigation Section of Williams Lake arrested two males at a residence in Quesnel.
A search warrant was executed on the residence and a variety of suspected drugs were seized. Items located within the residence supported the belief that various drugs were being trafficked by the occupants.
“Investigators believed the website was being used by the suspects to advertise and sell a wide variety of controlled substances to buyers across Canada,” said Corp. White, spokesperson for the BC RCMP FSOC. “The drugs were then being shipped through the mail to the purchaser. The website has since been successfully shut down.”
White acknowledged that a significant amount of time passed from the onset of this investigation until the time that charges were laid. Investigators sent 84 suspected drug samples to the Health Canada Laboratory for analysis.
As some of these substances had not previously been seen by lab analysts, time-consuming testing was required.
“Contrary to what was being advertised by the sellers, a safe, legal alternative to party drugs does not exist,” White said. “There is no quality control on these drugs.”