Nearly $300 million worth of cocaine destined for the streets was seized with the help of 19 Wing Comox crew.

The amount of cocaine nabbed weighed in at three-tonnes and has an estimated value of more than $293 million, as first reported in the Comox Valley Record. No specific details were released.

A 41-person air task force, including a dozen members from 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron at 19 Wing Comox, contributed to the bust.

The seizure was part of Operation Caribbe, Canada’s involvement in U.S.-led counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Canadian Armed Forces also send navy warships to the mission to find and track suspect vessels. The US Coast Guard law enforcement teams then intercept them before boarding and inspecting suspect ships.

Operation Caribbe began in November 2006 and a crew from Comox assisted in a seizure of more than a tonne of cocaine headed for North America in the same operation just more than a year ago.

Operation Caribbe began in 2010 and expanded with a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Canada, which allows U.S. Coast Guard teams to operate from Canadian warships.

Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard.
mdamour@westernstandardonline.com

Police are on the hunt for a man they say directed racial slurs at a 9-year-old child who was shopping with their family in Surrey.

On April 11, the child — who police did not identify as male or female — was at a grocery store in the 7500-block of King George Blvd. with family members when they were approached by an unknown man who allegedly made racists comments to the child.

Police did not elaborate on the man’s comments, but whatever was said has prompted an investigation into the case. RCMP said the man was known to them.

Officers are busy gathering additional evidence, which includes speaking with witnesses and seizing video evidence.

“This incident was understandably upsetting for the child and their family and we have engaged Victim Services,” said Superintendent Manly Burleigh of the Surrey RCMP.

“Comments like the ones directed at this child are reprehensible, unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our community.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca

Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard.
mdamour@westernstandardonline.com

Alberta health authorities may have barricaded their church, but congregants of the GraceLife Church held their service anyways – from a secret location.

“They can take our facility, but we’ll just find another one,” said GraceLife Church’s Pastor James Coates, as he opened the service on Sunday to applause from the crowd.

Coates was jailed for more than a month in mid-February because he was breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules by holding packed services.

After being released from jail, the church continued to see packed services, so last week Alberta Health Services, with the help of the RCMP, raided the facility and built three fences around it.

Undeterred, Coates continued with his service Sunday at the secret location and then put it up on YouTube Monday.

 “Good morning. Did you ever think you’d be part of the underground church?” Coates asked parishioners.

His sermon centered on Psalm 2, about God’s reign over a rebellion.

“Governments all over the world are counseling together in a unified effort to oppress the people they govern. And in that context, those who are faithful, those who follow Christ and confess that Jesus is Lord, are going to be the ones they have to silence and get out of the way because everyone else is going to fall in line,” said Coates.

AHS measures for faith services include limiting in-person attendance to 15% of fire code capacity.

Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com
Twitter.com/nobby7694