Drugs and cash found in secret compartment: Surrey RCMP

Strategic targeted enforcement by the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team’s (SGET) has led to the seizure of drugs and cash, from a hidden compartment inside a vehicle.

On January 1, 2021 at approximately 11 p.m., an SGET officer conducted a traffic stop with a Nissan Maxima, in the 9000-block of 156 Street. During the interaction with the driver, the officer observed a knife and bear spray inside the vehicle.

As a result, the driver was arrested for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. As the investigation progressed, the officer observed signs that there may be a hidden compartment inside the vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently seized and a search warrant was obtained. The driver, who is known to police and has ties to the Lower Mainland gang conflict, was issued violation tickets and released at the scene pending further investigation.

On January 3, 2021, the search warrant was executed on the vehicle with the assistance of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). A hidden compartment was located inside the vehicle and several items were found inside including approximately $10,000 cash, and approximately 1 ounce of suspected cocaine. The hidden compartment also held two bags containing hundreds of small packages of suspected crack cocaine and fentanyl.

Sophisticated after-market compartments like the one we located in this vehicle show the lengths drug traffickers will go to try to evade law enforcement, says Staff Sergeant Ryan Element, of the Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team. Our teams are well aware of these tactics and we will continue to relentlessly target drug trafficking and gang activity in Surrey.

The Surrey RCMP Gang Enforcement Team will continue overt suppression of gang-related activity in the city in partnership with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit and other police services in the region.