Police arrest 11 people, seize pound of cocaine in Hay River drug bust

The Northwest Territories RCMP made a major drug bust in Hay River this week, arresting 11 people and seizing more than a pound of cocaine.

According to police, the bust was the result of a two week long police operation targeting drug traffickers who import and sell drugs in the community.

The operation started in Hay River on April 1. Police said they did a series of traffic stops, and using evidence from these traffic stops and information from the community, police obtained threesearch warrants to investigatebuildings believed to be involved in drug trafficking.

In the early hours of April 14, police raided three buildings in Hay River, including one building that was barricaded.

Throughout the course of the entire operation, police seized 477 grams of cocaine and seized $52,000 in cash.

According to the RCMP, the investigation was a "coordinated"project involving police detachments in Hay River, Fort Simpson, Behchokand Fort Smith, N.W.T.Emergency response teams from Alberta, Yukonand N.W.T. also assisted in the three raids, as did the RCMP explosive disposal unit.

Police did not release the names of the people arrested.