RCMP seize guns, drugs, booze during weekend crackdown in Pelican Narrows, Sask.

Pelican Narrows RCMP netted drugs, guns and other contraband in a weekend-long crackdown.

Officers seized five guns, 210 grams of methamphetamine and an unspecified amount of contraband alcohol, according to a news release. Alcohol is prohibited in Pelican Narrows, which is about 415 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

“Violence and drug trafficking will not be tolerated in Pelican Narrows,” Insp. Stephen Bergerman said in the release.

RCMP made 12 arrests related to the seizures.

“It’s about taking back our future,” said Chief Karen Bird of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in a news release about the weekend’s crackdown.

“Today’s operation is part of our collective commitment with law enforcement to moving toward a path of healing, safety, and prosperity for Pelican Narrows, free from the influence of gangs.”

The crackdown comes amid what community members have described as an escalating gang and crime problem in the town. Members of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation have been asking for help with the problem.

On Feb. 4, Chief Bird wrote an open letter to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking for enhanced community safety, mental health support and more nurses.

Pelican Narrows has been under a state of emergency since last October, due to the town’s high crime rates. The local health clinic is also no longer offering non-urgent care because staff are occupied with so many emergencies.

A proposal to develop a community safety officer program in Pelican Narrows is still awaiting provincial approval.

RCMP say they hope that enforcement projects like this weekend’s will help lower the community’s escalating crime rates.