In a serious case of wrong place, wrong time, a silver car drove past a group of uniformed gang police on a long weekend.

The squadron of officers, in town from the Lower Mainland on their yearly pit stop in Victoria, ran the carB次元官网网址檚 plates. The vehicle belonged to a B次元官网网址渉igh-value individual,B次元官网网址� said Sgt. Shinder Kirk.

Pulled over at Government and Johnson streets, the officers cuffed the driver. Inside the car, they found pressurized canisters, crystal meth and GHB.

B次元官网网址淲e located a quantity of narcotics within that vehicle,B次元官网网址� said Kirk, the spokesperson for the CFSEU-Gang Task Force. B次元官网网址淣o charges have been forwarded yet.B次元官网网址�

The task force, based out of the Vancouver area, is made up of four teams of officers from the RCMP and Lower Mainland municipal police departments.

The bulk of the unitB次元官网网址檚 work happens on the Lower Mainland, but the task forceB次元官网网址檚 uniformed division hopped across the strait for four nights on the Island during the Canada Day long weekend. They spent Friday and Saturday nights in the capital.

B次元官网网址淕iven that it was a long weekend, these individuals gravitate to these communities (outisde of Vancouver) to socialize or (conduct business),B次元官网网址� Kirk said of people involved in gang activity and organized crime.

B次元官网网址淲e have seen a gravitation to outlying communities. Unfortunately for them, they donB次元官网网址檛 realize we work really closely with other agencies. They were checked (by our officers) and were made fully aware it doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter where they go, they may end up running into our officers.B次元官网网址�

Victoria Police DepartmentB次元官网网址檚 officer in charge of the patrol division, Insp. Jamie Pearce, said Greater Victoria residents often arenB次元官网网址檛 aware that people with gang and organized crime connections often visit Victoria, live here or conduct illicit business in the capital.

The Red Scorpions, for example, are an organization that operate in the city.

B次元官网网址淚 think (people) need to be aware that this is a problem that affects all British Columbians and we have to take steps to ensure it doesnB次元官网网址檛 infiltrate our communities,B次元官网网址� Pearce said.

He said that on Friday and Saturday nights, B次元官网网址渨e located some significant players in the Lower Mainland gangs that were over here.B次元官网网址�

Arrests were made, Kirk added.

Greater Victoria police agencies regularly check out known gang members in the region. The gang task forceB次元官网网址檚 presence helped bolster the idea that the Island is no place for criminals to hide, Kirk said.

B次元官网网址淲e also take up the responsibility to teach street level police officers some of the tactics that we found work in Metro Vancouver,B次元官网网址� he said.

ecardone@vicnews.com