A 27-year-old man from Burnaby, B.C. is in custody following a years-long investigation by the RCMP’s federal serious and organized crime (FSOC) unit and Regina police.

The joint investigation into drug trafficking across western Canada began in March 2022 and implicated multiple individuals.

The “primary focus” of the investigation, 27-year-old Nikola Galic, was convicted of five drug trafficking-related charges on March 20, 2024.

According to the RCMP, the sophisticated operation involved transporting illicit drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine — in kilogram quantity — from British Columbia to various parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Staff Sgt. Richard Pickering, the officer in charge of FSOC in Saskatchewan, elaborated on the importance of the arrest in the announcement on Tuesday.

“When you can arrest those that lead large trafficking operations – it truly dismantles and disrupts dangerous, illicit drugs coming into Saskatchewan and other provinces for the long run,” he said.

“I am incredibly proud of the joint investigation and collaboration with our FSOC investigators, partner police agencies, and everyone else that worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a conviction could be brought to fruition — without them, we couldn’t take these dangerous individuals out of our communities.”

The Public Prosecution Service of Canada negotiated a nine-year sentence for Galic — which was accepted by the Court of Kings Bench.

According to RCMP, the FSOC targets “the most serious criminal threats to Canadians,” which include national security, transnational and organized crime, as well as cybercrime.

“This priority focuses on criminal activities that cross international and/or provincial borders, carried out by organizations, networks, or entities.”