An undercover drug trafficking operation resulted in a guilty plea in Canmore Provincial Court.
Brandon Blanchard, 31, from Canmore, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking a controlled substance on Nov. 29.
A sentencing date is set for Jan. 31, 2017 in Canmore.
Blanchard was arrested and charged in 2015 during a Bow Valley-wide RCMP drug trafficking operation that saw 16 people facing charges.
Canmore and Banff RCMP, along with the Calgary RCMP General Investigation Section (GIS) and Kananaskis RCMP, participated in the investigation.
Canmore Cpl. Adam Palmer said the operation was to mark people in drug trafficking and he identified Blanchard as a target after information regarding him came up on three different occasions.
“In my mind, I had reason to believe he was involved in drug trafficking after meeting with a source,” said Palmer.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Simon Pillay told court an undercover female RCMP member had purchased cocaine from Blanchard in Canmore on two separate occasions in July and Sept. 2015, for $80 and $140.
The undercover member made direct contact with Blanchard in July 2015 as he was a “named target” and at an “open location.” In this case, Blanchard was at a local bar that had been identified by RCMP as a place known for the sale of illegal drugs.
The undercover member and Blanchard exchanged mobile numbers and through text messages over the next few months, which were read out in court, she was directed to pursue the sale and purchase of illegal drugs from Blanchard.
