File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Drug Trafficking

High-ranking Kamloops drug dealer gets 12-year prison sentence

Jul 22, 2024 | 1:37 PM

KAMLOOPS — A high-ranking Kamloops motorcycle gang member and drug trafficker has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Zale Coty was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops Thursday (July 18). It comes after Coty pleaded guilty to multiple drug trafficking charges in April.

Coty and two other men were charged in 2022 after a lengthy undercover investigation that targeted the Sunshine Gardens hydroponics store in Valleyview, conducted by both Kamloops RCMP and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC).

The three were associated with the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club, which police say was a support organization to the Kelowna chapter of the Hells Angels.

The 12-year sentence matches what prosecutors were seeking. Coty’s lawyers had advocated for a six-year sentence.

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“We’re pleased to see closure brought to this investigation which first began in 2017, during a time when violence, including a homicide, and other serious offences were occurring due to drug trade activity,” said Kamloops RCMP Supt. Jeff Pelley. “Today, years later, we find ourselves again in the midst of a drug trafficking conflict. We want to assure the public that results such as this, which began as a proactive project by the Kamloops RCMP Targeted Enforcement Unit, remain a priority for our detachment as they directly impact public safety.”

“The CFSEU-BC continues to collaborate with our partner agencies and hold individuals associated with drug trafficking accountable,” said Supt. Kevin O’Donnell, Deputy Operations Officer for CFSEU-BC. “This investigation stopped the establishment and expansion of the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club in Kamloops and their influence on behalf of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.”

Shawn William Carlisle pleaded guilty in November 2022 and received a two-and-a-half-year sentence.

Jacob Andrew Cavanagh received a four-year sentence in December 2023.

In addition to his 12-year sentence, Coty is subject to a 10-year firearms and weapons prohibition.