What is believed to be the largest cocaine seizure in Yukon history was carried out by Yukon RCMP during an operation in Dawson City earlier this month. Several prohibited firearms were also netted during the raid.
Tyler George Taylor — a man in his early 30s who’s been caught up in previous police investigations — was apprehended during the operation, and he now faces a slew of fresh charges.
Police executed search warrants on two residences in Dawson on March 6, netting bundles of cash with an approximate total value of $522,000, more than 10 kilograms of what police suspect is cocaine in brick form, several ounces of suspected crack, powdered cocaine packaged in small quantities and several pounds of cannabis.
Firearms and ammunition were also seized, including a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and three handguns, one of which was loaded. Other items netted during the raid include several cell phones and drug-trafficking paraphernalia.
Taylor was arrested without incident. According to Yukon RCMP’s Chief Superintendent Scott Sheppard, Taylor was under strict conditions — house arrest and GPS ankle bracelet monitoring — at the time of his arrest due to a previous investigation.
News of the police operation was shared at a press conference in Whitehorse on March 12.
Taylor faces nearly two dozen new charges because of the Yukon RCMP’s March 6 operation in Dawson, led by the crime reduction unit. Among the charges he faces are participation in activities for a criminal organization, failure to comply with bail conditions, cocaine trafficking, involvement in a criminal organization, possession of a loaded, prohibited firearm and other weapons and drugs charges.
Taylor Duke was also charged in the aftermath of the police operation.
“During this investigation, evidence was also obtained to support additional charges against Taylor Duke. On March 7, 2024, Taylor Duke was arrested at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre on the strength of an arrest warrant, which was obtained earlier that day,” Sheppard said at the press conference.
Duke, who is in his early 20s, faces charges including participating in activities for a criminal organization and conspiracy to traffic cocaine and fentanyl.
“As part of the RCMP’s contribution to the government’s Substance Use Health Emergency, we will continue to focus our efforts in targeting organized crime and the illicit drug trade. A key pillar of any harm reduction strategy is enforcement, and the RCMP hears repeatedly from all corners of our Yukon communities the devastating impact these drugs are having,” Sheppard said.
Both Taylor and Duke were among eight individuals arrested in 2022 as a part of Project Monterey, a Yukon RCMP investigation. This six-month-long project involved raids at two Whitehorse residences and the seizure of thousands of dollars worth of drugs, as well as cash and illegal weapons.
Duke was arrested again in August last year during a police operation on Takhini Hot Springs Road. According to Sheppard, he was charged with more than 60 offences following last summer’s raid, including an attempted murder charge.
On March 14, Duke is scheduled to be sentenced on charges related to Project Monterey, Sheppard said.
Speaking to Taylor and Duke’s potential connections to criminal organizations outside the Yukon, Sheppard said, “I would suggest, and as you can see, this is organized. They are making money at this, and they are engaged in violence and intimidation. There are always going to be links to other organizations, supply routes — however tenuous. But for someone to be able to allegedly, you know, have access to kilos of drugs. You know, that isn’t, that isn’t a local source. So, obviously, there are people who are connected to other sources.”
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com