Two hockey players from Airdrie were arrested June 16 in relation to a Calgary Police Services (CPS) investigation that rendered the seizure of more than $1 million worth of street drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.
“Earlier this month, we gathered evidence on a group of individuals who were involved in behaviour consistent with drug trafficking,” a CPS press release stated. “This led to two search warrants being executed.
“From these search warrants, we seized more than 11,000 grams of fentanyl, nearly 500 grams of methamphetamine, 200 grams of cocaine, 87 Oxycodone pills, along with smaller amounts of heroin, crack cocaine, and other unknown substances.”
CPS stated the total street value of the drugs seized was estimated to be $1.187 million.
On June 16, two individuals with previous ties to Airdrie's competitive hockey community were charged. Noah Riley Doherty, 18, and Justin Fedoruk, 21, now face several drug trafficking charges in relation to the seizure, along with a charge for possession of the proceeds of crime. According to the press release, they were to appear in court on July 2 and June 25, respectively.
“We know that there is no such thing as a safe street drug,” stated CPS Superintendent Cliff O’Brien in the release. “This investigation diverted a significant amount of drugs off our streets that had the potential to cause harm to the community. We will continue to target drug traffickers to keep our city safe.”
Fedoruk and Doherty were both members of the Airdrie Thunder junior B hockey team, with Fedoruk playing as one of the team's goaltenders in the 2019-20 and shortened 2020-21 seasons, according to his Elite Prospects page. Doherty played as an affiliate player for the Thunder in 2019-20, before moving to the Fernie Ghostriders junior B team last year. Both players grew up playing for elite minor hockey teams in Airdrie.
When reached, Thunder president Gord Ziegler commented as follows:
“It's an unfortunate scenario that's playing out – nobody knows anything right now," he said. "Whatever happens, we're going to leave that up to the proper authorities.”
According to CPS, the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be laid in the coming weeks.
