TWO men have been charged with a slew of offences after a year-long undercover investigation into a North Vancouver diala-dope ring.
Christopher Lokhorst, 27, is facing 14 counts of drug trafficking and Thieu Hung Tran, 29, has been charged with 11 counts. The men, both from Vancouver, are accused of taking orders for cocaine and heroin over the phone and then delivering it to the community.
The North Vancouver RCMP started investigating the suspects in February last year, when the force got information suggesting they were visiting the North Shore regularly from downtown Vancouver to make sales here, according to a spokesman.
Over the next 12 months, investigators conducted surveillance, made undercover drug buys and gathered other evidence on the men and other individuals linked to them. Last month, the force moved in to make a bust.
Police arrested Tran Jan. 17, and Lokhorst two days later. Last week, the detachment announced it had detained another individual connected to the case. Investigators have not yet released details about the third suspect, however. They say other arrests might follow.
Cpl. Richard De Jong, a spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP, said Tran and Lokhorst are believed to be mid-level players in the Lower Mainland drug trade.
"Individuals never really operate by themselves," he said. "They're connected to a group of other criminals who deal in larger volumes. . . . Along the food chain there's money to be made."
De Jong wouldn't say how much heroin or cocaine the men are accused of selling or reveal its street value, but he said all the alleged sales took place in North Vancouver.
"I think the numbers speak to the fact that there's an appetite for this here," he said. "If there's a need, organized crime will fit that need. Crossing a bridge into North Vancouver, it's easy business."
