Cochrane RCMP, with help from Canmore RCMP, have taken down a drug trafficking ring moving large amounts of dangerous opioids into Canmore. The months-long investigation wrapped up in late May 2026, leading to four arrests and the seizure of roughly $490,000 in drugs and a semi-automatic rifle.
The investigation started in March 2026 after officers spotted someone bringing wholesale-level drugs from Calgary into the Bow Valley. On March 13, police stopped a vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway and grabbed 1,097 grams of fentanyl. Then on May 14, officers searched a home on Kananaskis Way in Canmore. Inside they found 1.6 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, plus 2,000 counterfeit Xanax tablets. Police say those fake pills are often made with synthetic opioids stronger than fentanyl.
Two Canmore residents were arrested during the May 14 search. Mackenzie Harbar, 30, faces four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and 10 counts of failing to comply with conditions. He was held in custody. Katie Ervin, 31, was charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and was released on conditions.
Evidence from that Canmore home pushed the investigation into Calgary. On May 27, Cochrane RCMP, with the RCMP Emergency Response Team and the Calgary Police Service Gun Violence Enforcement Team, searched two Calgary homes. They seized another half-kilogram of cocaine and fentanyl, over 1,100 synthetic opioid tablets, and a prohibited semi-automatic firearm with two magazines holding 30 rounds each. Two Calgary men were arrested. Aaron Cahoon, 30, faces four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking. Jordan Nyiro, 31, was charged with four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking fentanyl, and several firearms offences, including unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. Both were held in custody.
All told, police took 1,186 grams of suspected fentanyl, 915 grams of suspected cocaine, 2,895 suspected counterfeit opioid pills, and seven grams of suspected methamphetamine off the streets, along with the rifle. The estimated street value sits near $490,000.
Canmore RCMP Staff Sgt. Greg Tulloch called the scale of the bust a surprise for the community. “The type of drugs and the quantity thereof are not what we see. It’s not something that we expected,” he said.
Cst. SJ from the Cochrane RCMP Crime Reduction Unit pointed to the wider opioid problem reaching smaller towns. “The reality is this is in our communities,” Cst. SJ said. “The opioid epidemic that’s happening right now, we’ve seen it affect our cities. It’s now affecting our smaller towns.”
