Two Coquitlam residents will be in a Surrey courtroom next week to face charges related to drug trafficking.
Jacob Brown, 22, and Omega Lanek, 28, are accused with six other people allegedly involved in a drug ring in the Lower Mainland.
According to a news release issued Aug. 1, the CFSEU-BC’s anti-trafficking task force and the Langley RCMP’s drug and organized crime section started working together in December 2022 after identifying the same suspects; their investigation into the gang activity soon expanded to include other jurisdictions.
In April and May of 2023, the policing teams executed 10 search warrants in Coquitlam, Richmond, Surrey and Langley, which resulted in eight arrests and the seizure of:
- more than $40,000 in cash
- five vehicles
- two firearms
- including ammunition and prohibited magazines
- 969 kg of precursors
- including PMK (used to make MDMA) and 4-piperidine (used to make fentanyl)
- 131.67 kg of pyridine (used in the synthesis of fentanyl)
- 165 kg of hydrochloric acid (used in the synthesis of fentanyl and MDMA)
- 73.6 g of benzodiazepine
- more than 1 kg of cocaine
- worth an estimated $60,000
- more than 15 kg of MDMA
- worth an estimated $300,000
- 8.5 kg of fentanyl
- worth an estimated $215,000
- jewelry
- worth an estimated $200,000
- more than 4,600 pills
- including oxycodone, hydromorphone, fentanyl and caffeine
- a hydraulic press and other items consistent with a drug manufacturing and trafficking operation
Police believe the gang could have produced 148 kg of MDMA and 139 kg of pure fentanyl, with a street value of $2.9 million for the MDMA and $3.4 million for the fentanyl — the latter equalling about 88,683 doses.
On July 29, 2024, federal prosecutors approved 31 charges against the eight suspects, including for Brown and Lanek:
Jacob Brown
- one count of conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance
- one count possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
- one count committing an offence, possession for the purpose of trafficking for a criminal organization
- one count possession and/or transport items intending that they will be used to produce and/or traffic a controlled substance
Omega Lanek
- one count of conspiracy to traffic in a controlled substance
- one count possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
- one count of committing an offence, possess a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking for a criminal organization
- one count possession and/or transport items intending that they will be used to produce and/or traffic a controlled substance
The eight accused will be before a Surrey judge on Aug. 14.
“This investigation resulted in the disruption and individuals charged in an alleged drug trafficking operation of an organized crime group manufacturing and trafficking potentially deadly synthetic drugs such as fentanyl in our communities,” said Insp. Todd Thomas, senior investigating officer for CFSEU-BC, in the news release.
“Our mandate and ability to work with our partner agencies to investigate across multiple jurisdictions allows us to target gang members and groups who impact public safety in multiple communities and hold them accountable for the harm they bring to our communities.”
