Two women were arrested by members of the Kamloops RCMP Targeted Enforcement Unit following a two-year “street-level drug enforcement initiative.”
Jennifer Lindsay Manuel, 38, of Clearwater, and Alina May Ortloff, 40, of Kamloops, were arrested on Nov. 4 and charged with three counts of possession of controlled drugs for the purpose of trafficking, including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
A TEU investigation revealed links between suspected local drug traffickers and drug suppliers associated with the Brothers Keepers, a Lower Mainland street gang, according to an RCMP press release. The investigation began in June 2019.
More than $100,000 in cash, a substantial amount of drugs and more than half a dozen firearms and silencers were seized by the TEU, according to the RCMP. Some investigations are still ongoing.
Kamloops RCMP Insp. Jeff Pelley noted TEU and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit - BC units were able to disrupt and interfere with the relationships of Kamloops drug traffickers and gangs in the Lower Mainland, calling the operation “impactful in enhancing community safety.”
“The investigations and arrests which stemmed from this project also led to the removal of guns, cash and drugs, bringing necessary enforcement to these criminals and their activities, and most of all, preventing other priority threats within the trade from becoming established in Kamloops,” he said in the press release.
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