Private security guards are watching over a secluded Edmonton neighbourhood, after two men from B.C. were shot to death in a drug-related killing.

A member of the public called police on Jan. 11 after discovering the bodies in a white Dodge Ram truck with B.C. plates, left parked and running on a residential street.

The Hills at Charleswood opened less than a year ago. About 30 families have since flocked to the newly-developed neighbourhood.

At the ribbon cutting in June, many cited the location's safety as their reason for moving to the near-rural community at the end of a gravel road in the city's southeast corner.

"There are plenty of young families," said Jesse LaFrance, the development's project manager. "We haven't had any issues in the community as it pertains to violence or anything drug-related so we're just surprised."

Two men were found dead in a running pick-up truck on Jan. 11 in a southeast Edmonton neighbourhood. (CBC)

But police say they're not surprised.

They identified the men as Navdeep Sidhu, 24 and Harman Mangat, 22, both residents of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia.

Drug-related crime between Alberta and B.C. has plagued Alberta's Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) for years.

"Borders are artificial for organized crime groups," said ALERT Insp. Chad Coles.

"It's a profit-driven operation — drug trafficking — so people will move across the country."

Vancouver drug hub

Drugs including cocaine, meth, fentanyl and marijuana flow east from the port of Vancouver, Coles said.

Traffickers from B.C. act as an artery to Alberta, feeding the province's drug trade.

"Generally, they will have contacts in the province, or they come and they set up operations," Coles said.

"But there's always that nexus of connection back to Vancouver because Vancouver's the hub for drug distribution and that's where they're getting their supply from."

Most drug dealers from B.C. stay in Alberta temporarily before returning to their respective home bases, Coles added.

Despite co-operation between police in the two provinces, the border can complicate investigations and arrests.

"It delays the enforcement actions we can take until they come back," Coles said about transient traffickers.

'It won't be the last'

The two men found dead in Edmonton on Jan. 11 were known by B.C. police for their alleged involvement with gangs and drug trades.

"It's a leap of faith to think that these two young men were just randomly there, lost in that community in Edmonton," said Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).

"They were there for a specific reason and specific purpose, likely related to the lifestyle they were leading and they sadly met with a tragic end."

This somewhat imaginary border between B.C. and Alberta doesn't prevent individuals involved in this lifestyle from travelling back and forth. - Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, B.C. Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

Houghton said drug-related crimes have become increasingly violent as more traffickers arm themselves with guns. The borders between provinces is no protection, he added.

"This somewhat imaginary border between B.C. and Alberta doesn't prevent individuals involved in this lifestyle from travelling back and forth," Houghton said.

"This certainly hasn't been the first time and I can guarantee that it won't be the last."

Detectives from Edmonton's homicide unit are investigating the crime. They urge anyone with information to call the city's police service.