111 charges now laid as police dismantle organized crime group in Alberta, B.C.

Ten people have been arrested and 111 charges now laid in the dismantling of a Calgary-based organized crime group that operated in Alberta and B.C., police say.

Thecharges relate to drugs, firearms, and organized crime, police said in a release.

The investigation by ALERT Calgary's organized crime and gang teambegan in November 2015 and concluded a year later with the arrest of Timothy Varga, 40, from Calgary.

One of Varga's associates, Andrew McGuire, 41, iswanted on a Canada-wide warrant and is believed to be in the Calgary area.

ALERT alleges that Varga was the central figure in a criminal network that extended from Alberta to British Columbia and had ties to Manitoba.

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Varga is charged with a long list of offences, including trafficking in cocaine, firearms charges, recruiting members for a criminal organization, and instructing a criminal organization.

Search warrants were executed throughout the course of the investigation in Calgary and in theOkanaganregion of B.C.

Police say they found drugs and firearms in Varga's home, despite a lifetime firearms prohibition against him from a previous manslaughter conviction.

Many of the offencesVarga and his associates were implicated in were detailed byALERT in September 2016.Since then, additional charges have been finalized.

The investigation involved the help of RCMP in Vernon and Sicamous, B.C.It also involved Public Prosecution Services Canada, Combined Forces Special Enforcement UnitBritish Columbia, Canada Border Services Agency, Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta, and Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre.

ALERT is a government-funded compilation of the province's different law enforcement groups.