Lengthy investigation culminates with two drug-related arrests

An Edmonton man and woman are facing numerous drug-related charges in connection with the alleged trafficking of cocaine and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). “This was an extensive investigation, which culminated with one of the largest seizures of GHB in Alberta,” said EPS Staff Sgt. Carlos Cardoso, of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Unit. “These are significant arrests. This is a drug (GHB) that if ingested, can easily have deadly consequences for the user, as evidenced by three deaths in Ontario.”

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013, EDGE converged on a northeast Edmonton address where the accused female was observed unloading several boxes of GHB, which she then carried into her residence.

During a subsequent search of the woman’s Clareview residence, investigators seized:

- 106 litres of GHB
- one kilogram soft cocaine
- half a kilogram of hard cocaine
- various paraphernalia used for the conversion and packaging of cocaine

The total estimated street value of the GHB is $212,000 ($1,000 per 500ml bottle). The cocaine has an estimated street value of close to $80,000. The accused male was also carrying close to $15K in cash, at the time of his arrest, which was also seized.

Nicholas Harris, 31, and Negin Bahmani, 24, are each charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, and cocaine conversion.