University of Regina Rams players among 5 people charged in drug trafficking investigation

Two Regina Rams football players are among five people facing charges after a four-month long drug trafficking investigation into a criminal organization by the Regina Police Service.

On Thursday and Friday, investigators executed eight search warrants at five residences and three vehicles. 

The Regina Police Service said the searches were conducted at a home in Alameda and a home in Frobisher, two small communities in the south east of the province.

Three homes in Regina were also searched, according to Insp. Gary Giroux, who is in charge of the Regina Police Service's firearms, drugs and gangs units. 

Giroux said the items seized include:

During a news conference on Monday, Giroux said seizures like this make the community safer. Giroux said the seizure of the fentanyl is especially important.

"If you were to look at street level, that's 75,000 doses. So 75,000 people in our community and maybe some surrounding communities do not have access to that now," he said.

Giroux said the value of the seizure is estimated to be approximately $1.5 million.

He declined to address the specific criminal organization police were investigating. He said those details will come out in court.

"The fentanyl did come from out of province. It came from the east," he said.

Five people have been charged as a result of the investigation.

They include Emmanuel Ramadan Bashir, 36, Morteza Ahadi, 32, Randal Lee Racette, 44, Michael Jourdan, 21, and Tarick Polius, 24.

In a statement, the University of Regina confirmed Jourdan and Polius are student athletes enrolled at the university and both played for the Rams during the 2024 season.

Polius played his first season with the Rams last year and was named a Canada West all-star at defensive tackle. He led all other Canada West lineman, finishing with 3.5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and 26.5 tackles overall.