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Two Abbotsford men charged after gang unit allegedly finds loaded gun in vehicle

Pair were previously charged with drug and weapon offences in Regina
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The Uniform Gang Enforcement Team of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. arrested two men in Abbotsford earlier this year after allegedly finding a loaded handgun in their vehicle. The men have now been charged. (CFSEU-BC/Facebook)

Two men who were arrested and charged with drug and weapons offences in Regina over the summer are facing new charges in Abbotsford.

Akashdeep Bhoot, 24, and Taranvir Sidhu, 23 – both of Abbotsford – were charged Sept. 24 with four offences each: possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession in a motor vehicle, and careless use of a firearm.

Bhoot was additionally charged with being in possession of a firearm when he is prohibited from doing so.

Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, media relations officer for the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU), said the charges stem from an incident on May 26.

She said the CFSEU’s Uniform Gang Enforcement Team (UGET) was conducting “proactive enforcement” in Abbotsford on that day when they noticed a Jeep being driven in an unsafe manner in the 31000 block of Glenwood Avenue.

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The vehicle was stopped and the two men in the Jeep were arrested after a loaded handgun was found, Winpenny said.

Bhoot and Sidhu are next scheduled to appear in Abbotsford provincial court on Oct. 25.

The pair and a third man – Azhar Ahmad of Surrey – were previously charged this year when the Regina Police Service (RPS) executed search warrants on two vehicles and two homes on July 21.

A press release from the RPS indicated that officers seized approximately 450 grams of cocaine, 225 grams of a meth-and-fentanyl mixture, 250 grams of a cutting agent, a loaded firearm and ammunition, $40,000 in cash, multiple cellphones, and digital scales.

All three men were charged with eight offences, including possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of property obtained by crime and weapons charges.

Bhoot was also charged with possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order.

He was also among three people charged in 2017 after Abbotsford Police seized drugs that included fentanyl and carfentanil from a residence and four vehicles.

He was sentenced in July 2019 to 18 months in prison and 18 months’ probation on two counts of drug trafficking and four counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the provincial court database, Bhoot also has a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking still before the courts from October 2020 in Abbotsford.

RELATED: Abbotsford man sentenced for drug charges, including fentanyl



vhopes@abbynews.com

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Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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