Pattison Media file photo

By Liam Verster

Drug Trafficking Bust

Vernon man among seven charged in drug trafficking ring

Dec 7, 2022 | 5:35 PM

Seven men, including one from Vernon, have been charged with several drug-related offences linked to a drug trafficking ring.

An investigation by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. (CFSEU-BC) into a drug ring that spanned the Okanagan and Lower Mainland resulted in the seizure of firearms and various illegal drugs, and 25 charges being laid against the seven individuals.

One of the men was Oakley Charest, a 34 year old Vernon man, who is facing charges of:

• Trafficking a Controlled Substance for a Criminal Organization
• Conspiracy to Traffic a Controlled Substance
• Trafficking a Controlled Substance
• Possession of a Prohibited Weapon
• Two counts of Possession of a Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
• Possession of a Firearm while Prohibited Contrary to Order

Charest has the longest list of charges of any of the seven individuals involved in this case, including a full-patch member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Haney Chapter.

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Five of the seven men, including Charest, were arrested Tuesday, Dec. 7, and then released on conditions as they await the court process.

The other two of the men involved, Roman and Lukas Tassone of Vancouver, remain at large and warrants have been issued for their arrests. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the two men should call their local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Lukas (left) and Roman (right) Tassone of Vancouver remain at large in the drug trafficking ring case, and warrants have been issued for their arrests (photos courtesy of the CFSEU-BC)

The investigation, which was run between September 2020 and July 2021, resulted in 12 search warrants being executed throughout the Okanagan and Lower Mainland.

As a result of those searches, police located and seized:

• $650,000 in Canadian currency
• 2 kg of cocaine
• 1 kg of MDMA (ecstasy )
• 1 kg of fentanyl
• 200 gm of ketamine
• 10 kg of marijuana
• 16 kg of cutting agent
• A 9 mm handgun and ammunition
• A .45 caliber handgun, prohibited SKS rifle magazines and ammunition
• Three rifles, a shot gun, three prohibited magazines and ammunition
• Body armour
• Two vehicles
• A cocaine press

Also uncovered during one of the searches was a Hells Angels Motorcycle Club vest and various Hells Angels support clothing items.

Items recovered from some of the searches associated with the drug trafficking ring (photos courtesy of the CFSEU-BC)

“This investigation resulted in the seizure of potentially deadly drugs, firearms, and disruption of a sophisticated drug trafficking operation securing a number of significant criminal charges,” said Assistant Commissioner Manny Mann, Chief Officer for CFSEU-BC.

“CFSEU-BC is committed to continuing our relentless pursuit of those wh pose the greatest risk to public safety in our communities as we investigate some of the most complex and resource intensive offences in the province.”

Various police and RCMP departments in the areas where the drug trafficking ring was operating, including the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP, assisted in the investigation.