Calgary convicted killer caught with gun, drugs during traffic stop
Posted Mar 5, 2025 12:28 pm.
Last Updated Mar 5, 2025 7:16 pm.
A convicted killer from Calgary was caught with a gun and drugs during a traffic stop east of the city last week.
Mounties say 28-year-old Abdullah Mela was arrested by ALERT with the help of RCMP on Feb. 28 after his vehicle was stopped in Brooks, Alta.
Officers found over on kilogram of methamphetamine and a loaded Glock handgun inside the vehicle. Investigators believe he was bringing drugs to Medicine Hat when the vehicle was stopped.
Mela has a lifetime firearms ban as a result of a 2021 manslaughter conviction stemming from a shooting death in northeast Calgary in 2016. The seized gun has gone to the lab to see if it was used in any other crimes.
“There exists an inherent violence within the drug trade and taking a firearm out of the hands of a drug dealer is a win for public safety,” says ALERT Staff Sgt. Ryan Thorburn.
Following the arrest, ALERT searched two homes in Medicine Hat and arrested two more people after finding more drugs and cash
A total of $185,000 worth of drugs was seized, including more than 1,000 grams of methamphetamine, 490 grams of cocaine, 330 grams of fentanyl, 880 hydromorphone pills. ALERT also seized more than $34,000 in cash.
Mela is facing multiple gun charges and a charge for possessing drugs. He remains in custody and will appear in court on Friday.
Medicine Hat residents Omar Farhat, 50, and Bonnie Mather, 64, are facing multiple drug charges.
