The RCMP searched five Whitehorse locations earlier this month, and they yielded drugs, weapons, stolen property and $450,000 in cash.

Five people have been charged as part of an ongoing investigation, RCMP announced Thursday morning.

“The RCMP believes these individuals and businesses were involved not only in trafficking drugs, but in money laundering,” said RCMP Chief Supt. Scott Sheppard.

The ongoing investigation is part of Project MUSKRAT, a drug trafficking probe that began in 2017.

On Nov. 4, RCMP and Canada Revenue Agency officials executed a search warrant due to suspected trafficking and tax offences.

Investigators searched three Whitehorse residences, a storage locker and a business on Main Street.

Officers found suspected cocaine; suspected methamphetamine; a handgun and high-capacity magazine; a conducted energy weapon; stolen property and cash.

The five people charged each appeared in court earlier this month and have been released on conditions. 

Levy Blanchard, 39, Celia Wright, 29, Sylvio Lin, 32, and Johnny Mak, 33, were charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Blanchard, Wright and Lin also face numerous firearms offences. Lin was the only individual charged with money laundering.

Melody Grini-Blanchard, 29, was charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000; two counts of possession of a prohibited device; and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Lin will next appear in court on Dec. 9, and Grini-Blanchard will appear on Jan. 11.

Sheppard said it’s possible that more arrests will be made, as the investigation is in its early stages. He noted that the seizures confirm the drug trade is “alive and well” in the Yukon.

“The concern is that the drug trade brings with it its own culture of violence and intimidation,” Sheppard said.

“Especially when you have presumably a closed market such as Yukon, it can be quite lucrative for people to sell drugs here.”

The seized drugs will be tested for fentanyl, a dangerous drug and painkiller found in many street opioids. 

Fentanyl overdoses caused more than half of the Yukon’s opioid-related deaths in the first half of this year.

Sheppard said he’s committed to working with health officials to address the territory’s drug problem.

“I realized long ago that when it comes to the drug problem … we’re not going to arrest our way out of this,” Sheppard said.

“We only charged five individuals right now, near the top of the file, but the impact of drugs in the community is far-reaching.”

The chief superintendent said First Nation chiefs have confided that drug activity is the main concern for many of the Yukon’s communities.

“It is a serious problem that has a lasting impact, and there are significant costs associated to it, in terms of policing, in terms of the social impact, in terms of the health impact, quality of life,” Sheppard said.

“Those things just go on to impact other things like business, and people feeling safe in their community, and tourism.”