Saskatchewan RCMP enforcement teams have seized more than 13 kilograms of illicit drugs, 49 firearms and over $231,000 in cash from communities across the province in the first half of 2025.
The Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT), a provincially funded initiative, also executed 412 arrest warrants between January and June.
"Provincially funded RCMP Enforcement Response Teams continue to deliver tangible results across the province by addressing serious crime," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod, K.C., said in a statement. "The targeted enforcement executed by these officers is a key part of our government's plan to reduce crime and build safer communities and neighbourhoods for everyone in Saskatchewan."
SERT includes three specialized RCMP units: Crime Reduction Teams (CRTs), the Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST), and the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT). Each focuses on different aspects of enforcement, from rural crime surges to drug trafficking and the pursuit of violent offenders.
Inspector Michelle Ireland, acting officer in charge of SERT, said local RCMP detachments play a vital role in the teams’ success.
"The collaboration between local RCMP detachments and SERT teams is incredibly important to the success of our work," she said. "Local detachments know their communities, and paired with further intelligence and investigation by the RCMP SERT, we continue to target safety concerns all across the province and remove drugs, weapons and dangerous people from the communities we serve."
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Between January and June, the STRT opened three human trafficking files, executed 43 search warrants and made 25 arrests. Officers seized more than 2,300 grams of cocaine, 1,600 grams of methamphetamine and laid 22 charges.
In January, Yorkton STRT arrested a man during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation and seized nearly 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 936.5 grams of cocaine, 133 grams of fentanyl and about $6,000 in cash. The man faces multiple trafficking-related charges.
CRTs, which focus on rural crime and prolific offenders, executed 277 arrest warrants, laid 379 charges, made 473 arrests, and seized almost eight kilograms of illegal drugs, over 1,800 packs of illicit tobacco and more than $144,000 in cash in the first six months of 2025.
WEST, which targets violent offenders and gang members, executed 135 arrest warrants and made 102 arrests during the same period. The team operates out of Saskatoon, Meadow Lake and Prince Albert.
In February, Prince Albert CRT and the Humboldt detachment executed a search warrant at a rural residence near Humboldt. Officers seized 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 801 grams of cocaine, 35,000 illegal cigarettes, four firearms, ammunition, bear spray and drug trafficking paraphernalia.
During a related traffic stop, WEST officers arrested two individuals and seized about $42,245 in cash, crack cocaine and additional drug evidence. Both suspects were charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.