The Vancouver Police Department is boasting disruptions made to what it calls a “violent criminal network” in the Downtown Eastside.
In an update on the VPD’s ‘Task Force Barrage’ Thursday, police report having seized more than 14 kilograms of illicit drugs “destined for distribution” in the neighbourhood.
Police say the seizure is the result of a three-month investigation into a group of illicit drug dealers, and a search of a property on East Hastings Street near Gore Avenue on last week.
“Nineteen people were taken into custody when the search warrant was executed on July 17. They have been released pending completion of the investigation, when police expect criminal charges will be laid,” said a VPD release.
The items seized in the search include:
“This single investigation represents more than 190,000 single doses of illicit drugs taken off the streets, and more than $2 million in profit out of the hands of drug dealers in the Downtown Eastside,” said Insp. Hiar.
Last month, the VPD published data suggesting that the rate of violent crime had fallen since the beginning of the year.
“Total crime decreased by 0.9% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, from 10,012 to 9,921 crimes,” the report stated.
“Violent crime declined by 11.2% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, with the number of cases dropping from 1,342 to 1,192 – the lowest number of violent crimes on record in Vancouver going back to the implementation of PRIME in 2002.”
The department is expected to hold a media event about the investigation at 1 p.m.
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