Photo courtesy ALERT

By Erika Rolling

Crime

Million dollar drug busts leads to Canada-wide warrant for man with connections in Grande Prairie

Jan 11, 2023 | 11:27 AM

Five suspects are facing a total of 30 charges in relation to a million-dollar drug bust that took place in Edmonton in November 2021.

Four Edmonton men have also been arrested and ALERT has issued a Canada-wide warrant for a fifth suspect in the organized crime.

ALERT is seeking information on the whereabouts of David Nguyen, as it is believed he has fled the country.

The five men have been charged with drug and firearm offenses as well as being members of and committing crimes in a criminal organization.

The November 2021 drug and firearms seizure that took place in Edmonton, also had connections to Red Deer and Grande Prairie. The drug seizure was valued at over $1 million and included more than 8.5 kilograms of methamphetamine and nearly two kilograms of fentanyl powder.

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The five accused are:

• Zachary Edwards-Swanson, 22-years-old from Grande Prairie
• Keegan Johnson-Thomas, 31-years-old from Edmonton
• David Nguyen, 31-years-old from Edmonton
• Michael Suksawat, 27-years-old from Surrey, B.C.
• Jason Suriyavong, 30-years-old from Surrey, B.C.

One charge against Suriyavong is for recruitment of members into a criminal organization, which is very rarely laid in Canada as he allegedly recruited people from B.C.’s lower mainland to traffic drugs into Alberta.

When three or more people are engaged in criminal activity, organized crime charges can be laid when it is established there was a financial benefit.

The penalty for participation in organized crime could be up to 14 years in jail.

In late 2019, Edwards-Swanson had been sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking after an arrest in August of 2018.