WESTLOCK - A pair of Westlock residents face upwards of a dozen drug, weapon and identity-theft charges following a Sept. 22 police raid on a 103rd Street residence.
Via a Sept. 24 release, Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird said an ongoing investigation into fraud and identity-theft offences led to the execution of a Wednesday-morning search warrant at the home where drugs, firearms, ammunition and personal IDs were found. Police, who had announced the sting to the public that day with an 11:25 a.m. alert via the Westlock and Area Crime Coalition system, spent roughly 10 hours on scene collecting evidence.
“It was a full day,” said Baird in a follow-up interview.
And while the RCMP have used the WACC system for a handful of MVAs, this was the first time they’ve used it to alert the public of an incident like this. As of August, there are 334 people signed up to receive WACC notifications.
“This is the first time we’ve used it this way and it’s part of what the system is intended for. We had something going on and we wanted to let people know to stay away from the area,” he explained. “We wanted to let them know there was no danger to the public, but just to stay clear of the area.”
Lana Kaye Wolfe, 43, and Brendyn Donald Beaulieu, 30, who are both from Westlock, each face 15 charges including trafficking in cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, psilocybin and GHB, plus unlawful possession, storage of firearm and ammunition charges and possession of stolen property related to identity fraud.
Wolfe has been released following a hearing in front of a justice of the peace and will appear in Westlock Provincial Court Oct. 13. Beaulieu has been remanded in custody and is slated to appear in Westlock Provincial Court Sept. 29.
