Vita man charged after WPS drug trafficking investigation – SteinbachOnline.com

A Vita man is facing drug trafficking charges following an investigation by Winnipeg police.

In August 2024, the WPS Guns and Gangs Unit launched an investigation into a criminal network smuggling cocaine into Winnipeg and within northern First Nations communities.

According to a statement from WPS, members of the Guns & Gangs Unit conducted a traffic stop on St. Mary’s Road and Hull Avenue on September 19. Three men were arrested and the following items were seized as a result of the investigation:

• Approximately 834 individually wrapped grams of cocaine
• 66 grams of packaged cocaine in various sizes
• $1,965 Canadian Currency
• Two vehicles
• Packaging and transport materials for medicines
• A stolen identification document
• Luggage
• Flight tickets

According to police, Bego Mahmutovic, a 24-year-old man from Vita, has been charged with drug trafficking and detained.

Ahmed Abdi Bashir, 26, of Winnipeg, and Reid David Asals, 27, of Penticton, British Columbia, were also charged.

According to the WPS, the seized drugs had an estimated street value of approximately $70,000 in northern First Nations communities.

It is believed that this cocaine trafficking criminal network operates interprovincially and that the seized drugs intercepted by police were destined to be transported to First Nation communities in the north.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone wishing to speak with an investigator may call the Guns & Gangs Unit at 204-986-8430 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-TIPS or winnipegcrimestoppers.org.