Editor's note: This article originally published at noon on Friday, July 21 has been updated to reflect the latest information released by the RCMP.
SUNDRE – Residents in a northeast subdivision in Sundre were startled as they were starting their day’s routine yesterday morning to hear what some initially thought was either gunfire or explosives when RCMP raided a suspected drug house.
“I didn’t see much, but we heard things,” said Kim Free, who lives about a block away from a property at 10th Ave. NE where an RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) was deployed shortly after 7 a.m. on Friday, July 21.
“At first there were sirens and stuff,” said Free. “And then we heard the cops over their loudspeakers saying things like, ‘Everybody stay in your houses.’”
Sgt. Randy Poon, the Sundre RCMP detachment’s interim commander said “it was a search warrant at a drug house,” acknowledging when asked that the raid was the result of a long-standing investigation and that the suspect was on the police’s radar.
Asked about the loud bangs that witnesses heard, he said, “I can confirm that it was stun grenades. We had our ERT make entry due to a history of possible violence.”
“There were no injuries during the entry into the residence,” he said, adding the subsequent search yielded controlled substances as well as a loaded firearm.
“The search warrant discovered large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl,” he said.
The amounts seized nor their estimated value were immediately disclosed.
“A loaded handgun and other weapons were (also) found in the residence,” he said, adding the investigation continues and that charges will be forthcoming.
Poon said the operation was conducted in coordination with members from the Sundre, Olds, and Didsbury RCMP.
“This was the culmination of a months-long investigation into drug activity,” he said.
Free was already busy packing up and preparing to go camping with husband Blaine and young daughter Piper as the operation unfolded.
“So we were up and about; we had the windows open last night because it was a hot day,” she said yesterday. “That’s how we kind of heard the sirens and the talking over the speakers.”
Curiosity got the better of them, and the family stepped onto their back porch to better hear what was happening, she said, adding more directives were issued by police over the loudspeaker moments before a couple of loud bangs they thought were gunshots.
“We were trying to peek over the trees and see kind of where it was coming from,” she said.
“It sounded farther away than what it ended up being. It sounded like it was more on Snake Hill (further west), so we felt like we were far enough away to be safe. But then it was pretty surprising to hear those gunshots so close by. My daughter got quite upset because it was very loud,” she said.
“She thought it was a bomb actually, so she wanted to go inside,” said Free, adding they at that point immediately went back into their house.
Kari Martens, who was also preparing to head out and enjoy some summer weather with her husband and three young children and had been up since 5 a.m., lives just a couple of houses away from the property police raided.
“We were sitting on the couch watching TV and about just after 7 (a.m.), we heard an ear-piercing siren,” said Martens, adding she then did not see anything at all for the next few moments.
“All of the sudden, the armed truck came in followed by a ghost car and they just pulled right up,” she said, adding numerous armed officers hopped out and proceeded to slash a truck’s tires prior to setting up a perimeter.
“Shortly after that, we heard a couple of the smoke bombs go off and then lots of yelling,” she said.
“As soon as I heard the smoke bombs go off – because honestly it sounded like gunshots and I didn’t know what it was – I got the kids downstairs, locked the doors, and set the alarm,” said Martens, adding she cautiously kept an eye out from her living room’s window that offers a partial glimpse of the property.
Martens, who spoke with the Albertan from her driveway as she was securing a floating donut to the back of a pickup getting ready for a day of swimming, said she witnessed police remove three individuals from the home: a young female, a male, and a woman.
She said officers immediately brought the male into the armed truck.
“He’s the one that they were here for…this has been a long time coming,” she said, adding that over the last five years since they’ve lived there, they’ve occasionally seen police attend, but never a huge presence like this.
“I’m just glad that they were finally able to do it,” she said.
Despite the drama, Free and her family remained focused on their plans for the weekend and were on the road before long.
“We finished packing and we’re headed off for camping,” she said, speaking with the Albertan while on the road as Blaine drove.
When asked whether they had felt in immediate danger at any moment throughout the ordeal, she said, no and added she was “just feeling thankful that the RCMP keep us safe.”
