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Yesterday my sister was brutally assaulted by two women

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This is posted with permission from Nicole Safron.   Her sister survived a terrifying experience at their home near Sylvan Lake this week.  

Following Nicole’s post is the RCMP report to the media on the alleged crime(s)


Yesterday my sister was brutally assaulted by two women

These women had been dropped off in front of her garage with a blue bag by a green ford truck. My sister who was upstairs in her home with her daughter and newborn baby looked out the window to see the girls jump out of the vehicle and the truck take off through her fence across the canola field.

She immediately called her husband and then a neighbor who is about a mile and a half away who could be there as soon as possible. JUST a week prior to this, a man walked into her home in broad daylight asking where Evergreen hall was, and later arrested (and is known to police) so she was taking it seriously. She got off the phone with her husband who called 911 for her at 8:44 am to dispatch police to her. She then activated her alarm system which has a loud outdoor siren to hopefully scare them away. The pair fled on foot towards the road. My sister, left her kids upstairs in the house (thankfully) locked the house and followed the girls to the end of the driveway in her car, while on the phone with my dad, to ensure she knew where the girls were. The neighbor got there at the same time and the girls were laying in the grass with the blue bag.

Meanwhile the green truck was speeding across the fields towards my other sisters home going through the fences. So the neighbor decided it would be good to make sure she was ok as well. She was still on the phone with my dad in her SUV when the girls attacked her punching her in the face and ripping her out of her vehicle. with my dad helpless on the other line.

The girls were kicking and punching her and telling her they were going to shoot her in the face. My sister was pleading for her life telling them she has a newborn baby and children and to take her car. My sister was fighting for her life in a ditch in rural Alberta wile my dad listened on the phone knowing anything could happen to his daughter.
The girls then got into my sisters vehicle and tore off towards highway 11, erratically driving down the wrong side of the highway at 160 km/hr + into oncoming traffic.
Meanwhile the truck that had crashed through the fences had caught fire behind my other sisters home after driving about 3/4 of a mile through fences and crop. The men in the truck had fled on foot. One of them stealing a vehicle from the neighbors down the road.

It was not until aprox 9:37am when the first police showed up out there.

My sister who was attacked did not see an officer until after 10:00am.

The reason I am writing this out in detail is to bring awareness to the crisis that we are facing in central Alberta with crime and drug related issues and thefts. Rurally it takes oficers time to get to victims. There are no other houses and rarely are others home. It is a hopeless feeling and people are scared to be home.

This is beyond petty theft. This is peoples lives and families at risk. You better believe what both my sister and my dad experienced yesterday will stick with them for years to come.

There is a meeting on Thursday November 7th from 6pm to 8pm in Rocky mountain house at the Lou Soppit centre with Doug Schweitzer, the minister of justice. I would encourage anyone who can to attend, in addition to writing a letter to your MLA. Honorable Jason Nixon has been outstanding with this situation contacting the family shortly after the events to discuss.

Lets send him the tools he needs to make a change. We need these drug houses wiped out. In ALL of ALBERTA. Central and rural Alberta is getting scary. These people need to be locked up. Both of these women had been arrested before and are known to police. They get released in a few days and have nothing to loose. I feel sorry for our police forces when they try and help us and the criminals are released within days!

They are dangerous.

I know I am speculating / putting the puzzle pieces together, however, those women had the intent of an armed robbery at my sisters home that morning. Armed and planned. Perhaps another vehicle would come and pick them up or they would meet the ford in the field.

But what I do know is that I am thankful Jolene was able to keep them away from her home, and her children did not have to witness anything.

You better believe they would have got into her home in the hour it took police to arrive. Or that our neighbor or my father would be in the wrong for trying to protect her.

And it may have been a different story entirely.

From Sylvan Lake RCMP:

The RCMP have laid charges against two females following several incidents that began with a complaint of suspicious females in Sylvan Lake and finished with a collision in Red Deer.

On October 23 at 8:48 a.m., Sylvan Lake RCMP responded to a rural complaint, that two females, believed to be intoxicated, were in a ditch. They were allegedly dropped off by a male driving a truck and that truck had driven through a fence. Property representatives in the area were taking steps to identify and detain the females. The truck, later identified as a 1997 Ford F150, was abandoned in a nearby field, on fire. Eckville Fire department attended and assisted with extinguishing the vehicle fire.

Sylvan Lake RCMP received a further update that one female property representative had been assaulted and had her vehicle, a Dodge Durango, stolen. RCMP Police dog services, Rocky Mountain House RCMP, and RCMP air services were deployed to the location to assist.

A short time later the Dodge Durango was observed travelling at a high rate of speed eastbound on Highway 11. The vehicle entered Red Deer. (see background media release).

Sylvan Lake RCMP later recovered the Ford F150, which had been stolen out of the Rocky Mountain house area. Two prohibited firearms were located, abandoned, in the area.

A second vehicle, a 2007 grey Chevrolet Silverado was stolen from a nearby residence and remains outstanding. The RCMP believe that the male who dropped off the suspect females stole the Silverado from an area property.

Sylvan Lake RCMP have charged Chelsea Crowley (27) and Brianna Crookedlegs (20) with the following offences:

– 2 counts of Possession of a Prohibited Weapon

– 2 counts of Possession of a weapon for a Dangerous Purpose

– 2 counts of Possession of Weapon without holding a licence

– 2 counts of Possession of a Prohibited or Restricted Firearm

– 1 count of Robbery

Crowley faces an additional five counts of Breach of Recognizance. Both females are scheduled for a Judicial Interim Release hearing on October 28.

Investigation into the circumstances of the recovered Ford F150 and the theft of the 2007 grey Chevrolet Silverado continues. The Silverado is described as grey, with black rims, a small push bar on the front and small dents.

If you have any information about these incidents, or information on the location of the stolen Chevrolet Silverado please contact the Sylvan Lake RCMP at 403-858-7200. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.

After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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2025 Federal Election

Police Associations Endorse Conservatives. Poilievre Will Shut Down Tent Cities

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From Conservative Party Communications

Under the Lost Liberal decade, homelessness has surged by 20% since 2018 and chronic homelessness has spiked 38%. In cities like Nanaimo, Victoria and London, the number of people living in tents and makeshift shelters has exploded. In Toronto alone, there were 82 encampments in early 2023—now there are over 200, with an estimated 1,400 in Ontario.

Yesterday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre received the endorsement of the Toronto Police Association, the largest single association of its kind in Canada, representing approximately 8,000 civilian and uniformed members.

This follows the endorsement by the police associations of Durham, Peel, Barrie, and Sault Ste. Marie of the Conservative plan to stop the crime and keep Canadians safe, after the Liberal government’s easy bail and soft-on-crime policies unleashed a wave of violent crime.

“These men and women put their lives on the line every day to keep our streets safe,” Poilievre said. “Our Conservative team is honoured to have their support and will back them up with laws to help them protect all Canadians.”

Poilievre also announced that a new Conservative government will ensure that police have the legal power to remove dangerous encampments to end the homelessness and the mental health and addiction crisis that has trapped thousands in dangerous tent cities and make life unsafe for law-abiding Canadians who live near them.

“Parks where children played are now littered with needles. Small businesses are boarded up and whole blocks of storefronts are shuttered because their owners can’t afford to deal with constant break-ins and vandalism,” Pierre Poilievre said. “Public spaces belong to everyone, but law-abiding citizens, especially families and seniors, are being pushed out to accommodate chaos and violence.”

Canadian cities have a mixed record of dealing with encampments in public places, with some not acting because they don’t believe they have the legal authority to remove the camps. Conservatives will work with provinces and ensure law enforcement has the clear legal tools they need to remove encampments and give Canadians back the safe streets and public spaces they deserve.

A Poilievre-led government will do this by reversing the Liberals’ radical pro-drug policies and by:

  • Amending the Criminal Code to give police the tools to charge individuals when they endanger public safety or discourage the public from using, moving through, or otherwise accessing public spaces by setting up temporary structures, including tents.
  • Clarifying in law that police can dismantle illegal encampments and ensure individuals living in them who need help are connected with housing, addiction treatment, and mental health services.
  • Giving judges the power to order people charged for illegally occupying public spaces with a temporary structure and simple possession of illegal drugs to mandatory drug treatment.
  • Returning to a housing first approach to homelessness, ensuring people get off the streets into a stable place to live with the support they need to rebuild their lives.

Under the Lost Liberal decade, homelessness has surged by 20% since 2018 and chronic homelessness has spiked 38%. In cities like NanaimoVictoria and London, the number of people living in tents and makeshift shelters has exploded. In Toronto alone, there were 82 encampments in early 2023—now there are over 200, with an estimated 1,400 in Ontario.

These encampments are a direct result of radical Liberal policies such as drug decriminalization and unsafe supply. They are extremely dangerous for the people trapped in them, who endure overdoses, assaults, including sexual assaults, human trafficking, and even homicide, as well as the community around them.

Under the Poilievre plan, tent cities will no longer be an option—but recovery will be. Conservatives will give law enforcement the tools they need to help clean up our streets, deal with chronic offenders, and provide truly compassionate recovery and treatment where it is needed.

“Instead of getting people the help they need, the Liberals abandoned our communities to chaos,” Poilievre said. “Leaving people trapped by their addictions to live outdoors through Canadian winters, sick, malnourished, cold, wet and vulnerable is the furthest thing from compassionate.”

A Conservative government will also overhaul the Liberals’ dangerous pro-drug policies that have led to over 50,000 overdose deaths over the Lost Liberal Decade. Instead of flooding our streets with taxpayer-funded hard drugs, we will invest in recovery to break the cycle of despair and offer real hope.

Conservatives will allow judges to sentence offenders to mandatory treatment for addiction, and we will fund 50,000 addiction treatment spaces, ensuring that those struggling with substance use get the support they need to recover—because real compassion means helping people get better, not enabling their suffering.

In addition to these measures, Poilievre has a plan to end the soft-on-crime approach of the Lost Liberal Decade, end the chaos, and restore order and safety across Canada:​

  • Three-Strikes-and-You’re-Out Law: Individuals convicted of three serious offences will face a minimum prison term of 10 years and up to a life sentence, with no eligibility for bail, probation, parole, or house arrest.
  • Mandatory Life Sentences: Life imprisonment for those convicted of five or more counts of human trafficking, importing or exporting ten or more illegal firearms, or trafficking fentanyl.
  • Repeal of Bill C-75: Ending the Liberals’ catch-and-release policies to restore jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders.
  • New Offense for Intimate Partner Assault: Creation of a specific offense for assault of an intimate partner, with the strictest bail conditions for those accused, and ensuring that murder of an intimate partner, one’s own child, or a partner’s child is treated as first-degree murder.
  • Consecutive Sentences for Repeat Violent Offenders: So there will no longer be sentencing discounts for multiple murderers.

Canadians can’t afford a fourth Liberal term of rising crime and chaos in our streets. We need a new Conservative government that will end the chaos, restore order on our streets and bring our loved ones home drug-free.

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China, Mexico, Canada Flagged in $1.4 Billion Fentanyl Trade by U.S. Financial Watchdog

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Sam Cooper's avatar Sam Cooper

The U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has identified $1.4 billion in fentanyl-linked suspicious transactions, naming China, Mexico, Canada, and India as key foreign touchpoints in the global production and laundering network. The analysis, based on 1,246 Bank Secrecy Act filings submitted in 2024, tracks financial activity spanning chemical purchases, trafficking logistics, and international money laundering operations.

The data reveals that Mexico and the People’s Republic of China were the two most frequently named foreign jurisdictions in financial intelligence gathered by FinCEN. Most of the flagged transactions originated in U.S. cities, the report notes, due to the “domestic nature” of Bank Secrecy Act data collection. Among foreign jurisdictions, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, and Canada were cited most often in fentanyl-related financial activity.

The FinCEN report points to Mexico as the epicenter of illicit fentanyl production, with Mexican cartels importing precursor chemicals from China and laundering proceeds through complex financial routes involving U.S., Canadian, and Hong Kong-based actors.

The findings also align with testimony from U.S. and Canadian law enforcement veterans who have told The Bureau that Chinese state-linked actors sit atop a decentralized but industrialized global fentanyl economy—supplying precursors, pill presses, and financing tools that rely on trade-based money laundering and professional money brokers operating across North America.

“Filers also identified PRC-based subjects in reported money laundering activity, including suspected trade-based money laundering schemes that leveraged the Chinese export sector,” the report says.

A point emphasized by Canadian and U.S. experts—including former U.S. State Department investigator Dr. David Asher—that professional Chinese money laundering networks operating in North America are significantly commanded by Chinese Communist Party–linked Triad bosses based in Ontario and British Columbia—is not explored in detail in this particular FinCEN report.¹

Chinese chemical manufacturers—primarily based in Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hebei provinces—were repeatedly cited for selling fentanyl precursors via wire transfers and money service businesses. These sales were often facilitated through e-commerce platforms, suggesting that China’s global retail footprint conceals a lethal underground market—one that ultimately fuels a North American public health crisis. In many cases, the logistics were sophisticated: some Chinese companies even offered delivery guarantees and customs clearance for precursor shipments, raising red flags for enforcement officials.

While China’s industrial base dominates the global fentanyl supply chain, Mexican cartels are the next most prominent state-like actors in the ecosystem—but the report emphasizes that Canada and India are rising contributors.

“Subjects in other foreign countries—including Canada, the Dominican Republic, and India—highlight the presence of alternative suppliers of precursor chemicals and fentanyl,” the report says.

“Canada-based subjects were primarily identified by Bank Secrecy Act filers due to their suspected involvement in drug trafficking organizations allegedly sourcing fentanyl and other drugs from traditional drug source countries, such as Mexico,” it explains, adding that banking intelligence “identified activity indicative of Canada-based individuals and companies purchasing precursor chemicals and laboratory equipment that may be related to the synthesis of fentanyl in Canada. Canada-based subjects were primarily reported with addresses in the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario.”

FinCEN also flagged activity from Hong Kong-based shell companies—often subsidiaries or intermediaries for Chinese chemical exporters. These entities were used to obscure the PRC’s role in transactions and to move funds through U.S.-linked bank corridors.

Breaking down the fascinating and deadly world of Chinese underground banking used to move fentanyl profits from American cities back to producers, the report explains how Chinese nationals in North America are quietly enlisted to move large volumes of cash across borders—without ever triggering traditional wire transfers.

These networks, formally known as Chinese Money Laundering Organizations (CMLOs), operate within a global underground banking system that uses “mirror transfers.” In this system, a Chinese citizen with renminbi in China pays a local broker, while the U.S. dollar equivalent is handed over—often in cash—to a recipient in cities like Los Angeles or New York who may have no connection to the original Chinese depositor aside from their role in the laundering network. The renminbi, meanwhile, is used inside China to purchase goods such as electronics, which are then exported to Mexico and delivered to cartel-linked recipients.

FinCEN reports that US-based money couriers—often Chinese visa holders—were observed depositing large amounts of cash into bank accounts linked to everyday storefront businesses, including nail salons and restaurants. Some of the cash was then used to purchase cashier’s checks, a common method used to obscure the origin and destination of the funds. To banks, the activity might initially appear consistent with a legitimate business. However, modern AI-powered transaction monitoring systems are increasingly capable of flagging unusual patterns—such as small businesses conducting large or repetitive transfers that appear disproportionate to their stated operations.

On the Mexican side, nearly one-third of reports named subjects located in Sinaloa and Jalisco, regions long controlled by the Sinaloa Cartel and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. Individuals in these states were often cited as recipients of wire transfers from U.S.-based senders suspected of repatriating drug proceeds. Others were flagged as originators of payments to Chinese chemical suppliers, raising alarms about front companies and brokers operating under false pretenses.

The report outlines multiple cases where Mexican chemical brokers used generic payment descriptions such as “goods” or “services” to mask wire transfers to China. Some of these transactions passed through U.S.-based intermediaries, including firms owned by Chinese nationals. These shell companies were often registered in unrelated sectors—like marketing, construction, or hardware—and exhibited red flags such as long dormancy followed by sudden spikes in large transactions.

Within the United States, California, Florida, and New York were most commonly identified in fentanyl-related financial filings. These locations serve as key hubs for distribution and as collection points for laundering proceeds. Cash deposits and peer-to-peer payment platforms were the most cited methods for fentanyl-linked transactions, appearing in 54 percent and 51 percent of filings, respectively.

A significant number of flagged transactions included slang terms and emojis—such as “blues,” “ills,” or blue dots—in memo fields. Structured cash deposits were commonly made across multiple branches or ATMs, often linked to otherwise legitimate businesses such as restaurants, salons, and trucking firms.

FinCEN also tracked a growing number of trade-based laundering schemes, in which proceeds from fentanyl sales were used to buy electronics and vaping devices. In one case, U.S.-based companies owned by Chinese nationals made outbound payments to Chinese manufacturers, using funds pooled from retail accounts and shell companies. These goods were then shipped to Mexico, closing the laundering loop.

Another key laundering method involved cryptocurrency. Nearly 10 percent of all fentanyl-related reports involved virtual currency, with Bitcoin the most commonly cited, followed by Ethereum and Litecoin. FinCEN flagged twenty darknet marketplaces as suspected hubs for fentanyl distribution and cited failures by some digital asset platforms to catch red-flag activity.

Overall, FinCEN warns that fentanyl-linked funds continue to enter the U.S. financial system through loosely regulated or poorly monitored channels, even as law enforcement ramps up enforcement. The Drug Enforcement Administration reported seizures of over 55 million counterfeit fentanyl pills in 2024 alone.

The broader pattern is unmistakable: precursor chemicals flow from China, manufacturing occurs in Mexico, Canada plays an increasing role in chemical acquisition and potential synthesis, and drugs and proceeds flood into the United States, supported by global financial tools and trade structures. The same infrastructure that enables lawful commerce is being manipulated to sustain the deadliest synthetic drug crisis in modern history.

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