Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) spent 2024 seizing thousands of dollars of guns and drugs from across the province.
The Saskatchewan RCMP says more people in the province are becoming victims of violent crime. These victims are also facing more serious violence, according to recent reports.
To help keep communities safe, the RCMP’s SERT team work with local RCMP detachments and officers. Together, they focus on stopping criminal activity.
SERT is made up of special teams, including the Crime Reduction Teams (CRT), Human Trafficking and Counter Exploitation Unit (HTCEU), and Offender Management Unit (OMU). Other teams include the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Teams (STRT) and Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Teams (WEST). These teams target dangerous criminals and groups that put the public at risk.
Last year, SERT worked on many criminal investigations across Saskatchewan. In the process of conducting their duties, they accomplished the following.
- Arrested 827 people.
- Carried out 392 search warrants and other court orders.
- Laid 1,015 charges under the Criminal Code and drug laws.
Illicit drugs seized
- 6,572 grams of cocaine;
- 4,732 grams of methamphetamine;
- 130 grams fentanyl;
- 6,349 grams of other illicit drugs; and
- 86 tablets.
From 2014 to 2023, violent firearms offences in Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction increased 271 per cent – rising from 126 in 2014 to 467 in 2023. Saskatchewan RCMP’s SERT removed 230 firearms from the hands of criminals across the province in 2024.
The team plans its actions using information, data, and advice from local leaders. It also works with RCMP officers in local communities to reduce crime.
In early 2024, RCMP officers from Prince Albert CRT and Hudson Bay Detachment began investigating illegal gun trafficking in the Hudson Bay area.
In March, the team conducted one of their biggest seizures of the year. Officers searched a house near Veillardville, with help from the RCMP’s Critical Incident Response Team.
They found and seized:
- 40 rifles and two handguns.
- 20 more partly disassembled guns.
- Over 10,000 rounds of ammunition.
- Gunpowder and shell casings used to reload bullets.
- High-capacity gun magazines, which are illegal.
- Illegal cigarettes, stolen coins, and gold jewelry.
- Small amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine, and drug equipment.
Authorities conducted a similar enforcement operation in North Battleford in October 2024, executing two search warrants. Officers located and seized a loaded handgun, a rifle, approximately 81 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 58 grams of crack cocaine, ammunition, a sum of cash and drug trafficking paraphernalia. Police arrested two adult males and one adult female as a result of the investigation.
Insp. Jeff Smoliak, SERT Senior Investigative Officer, said these efforts are making a difference.
“By removing dozens of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from the illicit market, our teams prevented these weapons from potentially falling into the hands of criminals and gang members who could use them to harm and intimidate community members,” he said. “This is a prime example of how Saskatchewan RCMP SERT and local detachments work together as the provincial police force to enhance community safety in Saskatchewan.”
SERT can be contacted by reaching out to the Saskatchewan RCMP. Tips can always be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers.
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