Stettler resident arrested during northern Alberta drug bust 

Last year, the Cold Lake General Investigations Section (GIS) began an investigation into a drug trafficking network in the City of Cold Lake.    

With the assistance of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in both Edmonton and Lloydminster, investigators eventually became aware of illegal drug flow through the Lakeland area spanning from Cold Lake to St. Paul.   

Cold Lake GIS began an investigation into the network which led to two search warrants being executed.  

On Jan. 22, with the assistance of the RCMP Eastern Alberta District’s Crime Reduction Unit and General Investigations Section, Police Dog Services, and members of the St. Paul, Elk Point, and Lac la Biche RCMP Detachments, Cold Lake GIS executed a search warrant on a residence within the Town of St. Paul and another within the County of St. Paul.  

During the searches police located approximately 620 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 464 grams of suspected cocaine, large quantities of prescription pills, over 1,000 grams of illegal cannabis, over $10,000 in Canadian currency, four firearms, body armour, and other items that are consistent in the drug trafficking trade.   

Police also located several items of stolen property including two snowmobiles and a trailer.  

Thomas Hinch a 40-year-old resident of Stettler, and Shyanna Mills a 21-year-old resident of Drumheller, have been charged with the following offences:  

• Trafficking in a controlled substance  

• Possession for the purpose of trafficking in a controlled substance  

• Unauthorized possession of a Firearm  

• Careless Storage of a Firearm  

• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose  

Hinch was released by a Justice of the Peace with conditions to appear in the St. Paul Alberta Court of Justice on Feb. 6.   

Mills was denied bail and remains in custody until her next court appearance on Jan. 30, at the St. Paul Alberta Court of Justice.  

Ignatius Rumbolt a 73-year-old resident of St. Paul, has been charged with the following offences:  

• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking a Controlled Substance  

• Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000.00  

• Possession of a restricted firearm with ammo while not being the holder of a license  

• Tampering with the serial number of a firearm  

• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose  

Rumbolt was denied bail during a Judicial Interim hearing. Rumbolt’s next court appearance will be on Jan. 30, in the St. Paul Alberta Court of Justice.  

Rumbolt was also subject to a Conditional Sentence Order in relation to previous charges which it is alleged he was in breach of.  

“Cooperation between police agencies, units, and detachments was essential in the successful conclusion of this investigation. Drug trafficking networks have no borders and require a collaborative effort to disrupt and dismantle,” said Cpl. Ben Burgess, Cold Lake GIS. “It is believed that these drug seizures will have a significant effect on the Town of St. Paul and the entire Lakeland area.”   

Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. 

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.

CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.