Abbotsford Police say they have disrupted a major drug line in the city with the arrest of a man who has been charged with 66 firearms and drug offences.
Corey Jim Perkins, 28, of Abbotsford was arrested after police executed 10 search warrants of cars and of a residence or residences connected to him.
Investigators seized numerous guns, $60,000 in cash, and large quantities of drugs, including more than 1,000 pills containing Fentanyl, an opiate considered 100 times more potent than heroin which has been connected to numerous drug overdoses and deaths in B.C.
The firearms seized by police included prohibited and restricted weapons, semi-automatic pistols and rifles, revolvers, a sub-machine gun and a sawed-off shotgun, as well as magazines, silencers and ammunition.
Perkins (in photo at left) was also charged with trafficking in cocaine, as well as possession of cocaine and fentanyl for the purposes of trafficking.
An associate of Perkins, 26-year-old Caitlin Rose Bransford, was also charged with four counts of possession for the purposes of trafficking (cocaine, meth, heroin and fentanyl) and possession of a loaded restricted handgun.
Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said the arrest of Perkins is “significant.”
“When you see this kind of arsenal of weapons and drugs, you know there are going to be gang connections,” he said.
MacDonald said police do not believe that Perkins is affiliated with the groups involved in the Townline Hill conflict, which involves two gangs battling for drug turf.
But he couldn’t say what organization Perkins might be involved with or whether that particular gang is in conflict with the Townline Hill groups.
MacDonald said it’s also too early to tell whether the fentanyl allegedly being sold by Perkins could be connected to any of the deaths or overdoses in Abbotsford.
It’s also too soon to make connections to the source of the weapons, he added.
MacDonald said police began their investigation into Perkins about a year ago.
He said not only does the arrest disrupt the drug trade in Abbotsford, but it “immediately improves public safety as a result of taking numerous firearms and large quantities of drugs off the street.”
According to the provincial court database, Perkins’ only prior conviction was in 2006 for driving while prohibited. Prior remains in custody pending a bail hearing.
Bransford also has no prior criminal record.
Anyone with further information about drug or gang activity is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or the tip line at 604-864-4777, text abbypd (222973) or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
(Photo below:This picture shows the large stash of firearms, magazines, silencers and ammunition seized by police as part of an investigation into a drug line.)
