Drugs, cash and a firearm are seen in an RCMP handout photo after a Feb. 28 bust of a man formerly convicted of manslaughter.--HANDOUT COURTESY RCMP
@MedicineHatNews
Organized crime investigators in Medicine Hat allege that a man released from prison on a manslaughter conviction in 2022 soon began working in the drug trade between Calgary and Medicine Hat.
Abdullah Mela, 28, was arrested in Brooks on Feb. 28 by RCMP officers, and investigators say they seized more than a kilogram on methamphetamine and a loaded hand gun during a search of a vehicle.
A subsequent search of two homes in Medicine Hat led to trafficking charges against two other individuals, according to officials with the ALERT Medicine Hat regional crime unit.
They say the total value of narcotics seized is $185,000, including 493 grams of cocaine, 330 grams of fentanyl and 884 hydromorphone (an opioid) pills, as well as $34,730 in currency.
Mela, 28, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2021, according to media reports at the time, and was sentenced to one year remaining after four years in custody.
The ALERT release, titled “Firearms, drugs seized from convicted killer,” notes that the Calgary man is subject to a lifetime ban from owning firearms stemming from the conviction.
“There exists an inherent violence within the drug trade, and taking a firearm out of the hands of a drug dealer is a win for public safety,” said Medicine Hat Police Staff Sgt. Ryan Thorburn, of the ALERT unit.
Conviction of a serious gun crime in Canada puts the onus on an accused when seeking bail to prove public safety would not be compromised if release is granted.
Mela appeared at Court of Justice in Medicine Hat on Tuesday for a bail hearing. The result is expected to be announced Friday.
Also appearing in court this week is co-accused Omar Farhat, 50, of Medicine Hat, who faces three counts of drug trafficking and single counts of unauthorized possession of a restricted weapon and possessing the proceeds of crime valued above $5,000.
Bonnie Mather, 64, of Medicine Hat, is also charged according to the ALERT release, though the charges and status of her matter in court are not clear.
