‘Project Glacier’ leads to arrest of alleged drug trafficking ring with ties to Peace region
A large quantity of guns and drugs were seized as a result of Project Glacier in Grande Prairie.
GRANDE PRAIRIE, B.C. — Six people allegedly involved in a drug trafficking ring that had ties to both Grande Prairie and the Peace region have been arrested.
According to a press release from Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), the arrests came after a two-year investigation called Project Glacier led by Grande Prairie’s organized crime unit.
It concluded on March 13th, with six people facing a combined total of 22 charges.
Doug Wheeler, a 42-year-old from Wembley, Alberta, is the alleged leader of the drug trafficking operation.
He’s facing charges of instructing the commission of an offence from a criminal organization and conspiracy to traffic drugs, among other offences not outlined in the ALERT press release.
“Doug Wheeler was allegedly the head of a criminal organization that was deeply rooted in Grande Prairie and beyond,” said ALERT inspector Brad Lundeen, who went on to add that the group could have caused “considerable community harm.”
The other arrested suspects include 38-year-old Joseph Collicutt from Grande Prairie, 31-year-old Jesse Lukac from Grande Prairie, 26-year-old Patrick Arcand from Sexsmith, 27-year-old Cody Yanishewski from Grande Prairie and 31-year-old Shannon Pearse from Wembley.
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In addition, $283,000 in drugs and cash were reportedly seized as part of Project Glacier, including two firearms, 2,219 grams of cocaine, 319 grams of cocaine buffing agents, 1,110 illicit opioid pills and a variety of illegal steroids.
One of the two firearms – a loaded handgun – had been reported as stolen previously. Both guns have been sent to ALERT’s provincial firearms lab for analysis.
All six accused are set to make their first court appearance in Grande Prairie on May 26th, 2025. This isn’t the first drug trafficking-related arrest in Grande Prairie so far this year, with earlier incidents dating back to January.
Energeticcity.ca has reached out to ALERT for more information about the charges and will update this story when more information becomes available.
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