Kelowna — Updated at 10:43 AM, Mar 4, 2026 (IST)
A seven-month, intelligence-led enforcement effort funded by British Columbia’s Special Investigations and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) Program produced 121 arrests, extensive drug and weapon seizures, and other disruptions to repeat offenders and organized crime in Kelowna.
The operation ran from June 1, 2025, to January 15, 2026. Provincial funding supported extra enforcement shifts focused on high-risk individuals and locations with elevated violence and social disorder. The initiative generated 456 new police files and resulted in 163 charges being recommended, including multiple breaches of court-ordered conditions.
Sgt. Scott Powrie of the Crime Reduction Unit said the SITE funding had a measurable impact on public safety in Kelowna, allowing police to proactively target repeat violent offenders and organized criminal groups, remove dangerous weapons and toxic drugs from the community, and disrupt networks before further harm occurred.
Weapons seized included:
– 4 handguns
– 9 imitation or improvised handguns
– 1 long gun with ammunition
– 12 cans of bear deterrent spray
– 1 switchblade, 1 taser, 1 hatchet, 1 baton
– 24 knives, 2 machetes, 3 baseball bats, 1 sword
Illicit substances removed included:
– 237 g fentanyl
– 694 g methamphetamine
– 311 g cocaine
– 202 g crack cocaine
– 35 g MDMA
– 13 g LSD
– more than 1.8 kg psilocybin
– more than 2.3 kg packaged cannabis for sale
– 618 g suspected mixed illicit drugs
– 595 prescription pills
Other seizures and recoveries:
– $55,528 in Canadian currency
– 7,470 cartons of illegal cigarettes
– 180 illegal vape devices
– 450 nicotine pouches
– 2 vehicles suspected to be proceeds of crime (forwarded for civil forfeiture)
– 1 industrial shipping container
– 1 recovered stolen vehicle
The RCMP said the SITE operation underscored the need for better coordination between frontline patrols and investigative units. To address that, the Kelowna Gang Enforcement Team (KGET) pilot project has been launched to concentrate on gang activity and organized crime, continue efforts to remove firearms, drugs and criminal proceeds, target violent offenders, and improve collaboration across units.
