A drug trafficker from Mission has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after an investigation into trafficking that saw the seizure of more than 1.2 kgs of fentanyl, other drugs and guns, say RCMP from the area.

In 2021, several traffic stops within the city found drugs in the cars of many people believed to be involved in drug trafficking. 

Mission RCMP’s Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) started an investigation into the group of people who had been found with drugs and suspected of trafficking. The investigation went into 2022, where the RCMP gathered evidence which led to more arrests and drug seizures. 

Then in 2022, Richard Samplonius was stopped in his black BMW in Mission. He was arrested and charged with two counts of trafficking a controlled substance.

Police obtained a search warrant for Samplonius’s home and found more than 1.2 kgs of fentanyl, crack cocaine, packaging materials and seven guns. The guns included handguns, shotguns and an automatic rifle. 

On Sept. 10 of this year, Samplonius, 45, was convicted of several drug trafficking and firearms offences.

His BMW and over $7,000 in cash were also forfeited through British Columbia’s Civil Forfeiture Office.