By Sheldon Spackman

Spring 2024

Trial scheduled for man charged in major drug and weapons seizure in Olds

Jul 17, 2023 | 3:25 PM

A four-day trial has been scheduled for a man police describe as a suspected drug dealer and repeat offender, charged in a major drug and weapons seizure in Olds last year.

Eric Donald Becker, 34, is scheduled for trial in Calgary Court of Justice from April 29-May 2, 2024.

Becker was charged after police seized four guns and over $100,000 worth of drugs from two homes and a pair of vehicles last year.

On Dec. 6, 2023, Brad Lundeen, Inspector of ALERT Regional Teams, displayed the seized items at the Red Deer RCMP Detachment (4601 51 Ave), which included:

• 285 grams of fentanyl
• 201 grams of cocaine
• 697 grams of methamphetamine
• 2,900 ml of GHB
• 372 hydromorphine pills, including roughly 300 other prescription pills
• Four firearms
• $8,445 in cash

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ALERT says the investigation began in September 2022 after the team received information about drug trafficking in the community. Lundeen states 15 officers from ALERT Red Deer’s organized crime team were utilized for the investigation as well as the Olds RCMP detachment and one officer from the Sundre detachment.

On Nov. 24, 2022, officials say the ALERT team and officers from both RCMP detachments searched two homes and two vehicles.

ALERT confirmed at the time that the suspect was bound by a lifetime firearms prohibition. Of the four firearms in his possession, officers confirmed two were stolen handguns (pistols) from separate law enforcement jurisdictions. Lundeen said drug trafficking activities, particularly large scale ones, usually entail a criminal network beyond city boundaries. He says the two handguns could have been previously legally purchased with a restricted license prior to the federal handgun freeze.

The two other guns, he said, included a revolver, prohibited due to its large size in length, and a riffle, modified for a shorter barrel.

ALERT confirmed the firearms were to be submitted for further forensic testing and ballistics analysis within the province to determine if they were previously used in any other crimes.

Becker is facing 19 charges and is also facing six breach charges related to a previous and similar ALERT investigation in February 2022, in addition to being charged in November 2021, as well.

The main concern, according to Lundeen, is that the dealings were taking place at a wholesale volume with a variety of types of street drugs in the same location. He said fentanyl in particular is a call for concern with its high rates of overdose deaths.

Although Lundeen said they are not seeing more of the drugs than usual, he did say the seizure was considerable for a small community.

“The wholesale of drugs of this volume in the community is impactful to those communities as the consumers are often addictions-based,” he said. “That then causes escalation within rural crime in the Olds area as it relates to property crimes and thefts based on those addictions. Seizures of this volume have a significant impact on that industry and the ability to obtain these dugs within the Olds and central Alberta area.”

Olds is located approximately 60 kilometres south of Red Deer.

Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police or anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of some of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime. They have eight regional based teams across the province.

Related: Over $100,000 worth of drugs and four guns seized from repeat offender in Olds