Two Coquitlam men are facing numerous charges after police found drugs and weapons in their City Centre area apartment following the execution of a search warrant last month.
Michael Kim, 24, and Hyun Shin, 22, are facing 10 charges each, including possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace and drug possession for the purpose of trafficking. Kim was expected to appear in court today (Thursday), while Shin is due to return on March 26.
"Basically what happened is we received information from our analysts and they turned it into intelligence for the investigators," said Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung. "That led them to these two individuals."
Mounties had been following the pair for a while before the arrest, Chung said, and felt that by the end of February they had enough information to arrest. He added that both men are considered prolific offenders, however neither were linked to any gangs in the area.
Chung credited the RCMP's Integrated Drug Suppression Team and investigator's crime reduction strategy for the arrest.
The initiatives target prolific offenders by examining offence patterns and gathering information that can be used in the course of an investigation, according to Staff Sgt. Stan Szelagiewicz, the plainclothes section commander of the Coquitlam RCMP.
"Our intelligence-led and evidence-based method of fighting crime has proven to be effective in reducing criminal acts committed by prolific offenders," he said. "By focusing on these offenders and crime hot spots our proactive crime reduction method has produced measurable positive results."
He added that cooperation with other police agencies, including the Port Moody Police Department, allows officers from outside the region to contribute to investigations and crime reduction.
In 2011 the Integrated Drug Suppression Team street checked more than 350 offenders and conducted 201 drug seizures, recommending 96 criminal charges. Seven firearms were also seized along with a large quantity of other prohibited weapons, like brass knuckles, mace and nunchucks. In addition, close to 100 traffic tickets have been issued to prolific and priority offenders.
