RCMP announces additional charges in Operation Harrington, Dartmouth, N.S.

2016/2/9

The Nova Scotia RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime Unit has laid additional charges in relation to a two-year international drug trafficking investigation with ties to Colombian and Mexican drug cartels.

During the spring of 2013, the RCMP Federal Serious & Organized Crime Unit began a drug investigation that uncovered eight conspiracies to import cocaine into Canada from a number of countries including Antigua, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and the United States. In addition, there were four investigations into trafficking of cocaine and one investigation into trafficking in firearms. As a result, 15 individuals were charged.

Today additional charges were laid against two of those individuals, who were arrested without incident in Dartmouth yesterday.

Sixty-nine year-old Delbert William Meister of Halifax and 55-year-old Darlene Margaret Richards of Greenwood were charged with Breach of Trust (one count each) and Possession of Proceeds of Crime (two counts each).

During the course of the investigation, evidence indicated that both individuals used their positions of employment to gain access to information for criminal intent. Meister was an employee of the Canadian Coast Guard and Richards was an employee of the Department of National Defence during the time of the alleged offences.

Both were released on conditions and are scheduled to appear at Halifax Provincial Court on March 29, 2016 at 9 a.m.

Source: Release