Man charged after cocaine bust in Yellowknife

(Photo courtesy of RCMP).

A Yellowknife man, who’s originally from Toronto, is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking after the RCMP’s Federal Investigations Unit raided a Range Lake-area apartment in the city.

Mounties state in a news release that a search warrant was executed on a home last Thursday at the same time a suspect was being arrested in the parking lot of a local business.

During the raid, police state that more than 2,900 pre-packaged baggies of crack cocaine, an additional 157 grams of cocaine, and approximately $1,600 cash was seized.

Police state that the arrest was a result of an investigation which started last December.

“We are pleased to remove these drugs from the distribution chain in the NWT, and hold accountable those individuals who wish to harm our communities,” stated RCMP Staff Sergeant Den Riou in the release. “This investigation and seizure once again resonates the need to quell the strong demand for crack cocaine in the Northwest Territories.”

Noel Tesfazion, 30, is also charged with possession of proceeds of crime and was to appear in court Monday,

About the Author

John McFadden
John has been in the broadcast journalism industry since the 1980s. He has been a reporter in Yellowknife since 2012 and joined CKLB in January of 2018. John covers the crime and court beat as well as reporting on other areas including politics, business, entertainment and sports. He won seven national community newspaper awards while he was a journalist with Northern News Services Limited (NNSL). John worked in Ontario before coming North including stints as a TV sportscaster in Peterborough and senior news writer for CBC and CTV in downtown Toronto.