Three people arrested after gun and drug bust in GP

It was a major team effort with investigators with ALERT’s Grande Prairie organized crime team, ALERT’s Guns and Gangs team, High Prairie RCMP, and Grande Prairie RCMP coordinating the investigation.

Three people were arrested as part of a straw purchasing investigation. According to ALERT, Straw purchasing typically involves someone with a valid Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) but no criminal record obtaining firearms for someone who otherwise could not, or who does not want their name associated with the transaction.

When officers arrested the suspects and searched the two vehicles, they seized four handguns, a rifle, ammunition and magazines, body armour, 810 grams of suspected cocaine and $5,665 cash.

ALERT believes 49-year-old Loriann Vegso was acting as a firearms straw purchaser and diverted handguns to the criminal market. She purchased 15 handguns since April 2019, which she allegedly resold.

That afternoon, according to ALERT, 23-year-old Dustin Prinz from High Prairie was in the process of purchasing three handguns from Vegso. He is also a suspected drug trafficker and when he was arrested, he had a large amount of suspected cocaine on him.

A 22-year-old woman, Hailey Badger was in Prinz’s vehicle and a loaded handgun was found in her purse.

ALERT began its investigation in April 2019 with the assistance of the RCMP’s National Weapons Enforcement Support Team.

So now you know, that’s what all the action was by Best Buy.

Photo supplied by ALERT

by Sheena Roszell

Three people arrested after gun and drug bust in GP

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