Undercover drug busts targetting alleged street-level dealers have resulted in charges against seven people, police say.
Mounties in Penticton and Oliver carried out the operation, dubbed Operation EPOACH, in November, according to an RCMP press release.
“Further arrests are anticipated in the immediate future, as result of this investigation,” Cpl. Brad Myhre of the Penticton Drug Task Force said in the release.
“The arrest of these alleged drug traffickers disrupts networks that distributes harmful drugs in our communities.”
The accused face a range of charges involving cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine.
Penticton residents who have been charged are: Dwayne Lee Gabriel, 25; Amanda Loretta Hansen, 32; Armando (Adam) DaRosa Pereira, 49; and Alicia Angel Foster, 29.
Donald William Merritt, 50, and Gregory James Andrew, 41, of Okanagan Falls, and Delmar Lawrence Scott, 69, of Oliver, were also charged.
All have been released from custody on bail, with the exception of Merritt, the release noted, and several accused have prior convictions for drug trafficking.
Myhre encouraged anyone with information about the drug trade to contact police at 250-492-4300 or through Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
