Three people are facing charges after investigators with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team seized 3,714 fentanyl pills during two busts last week in Calgary.

On October 26 and 28, ALERT executed a pair of search warrants that resulted in the discovery of 943 and 2,771 pills respectively.

The larger bust took place when authorities searched a home and a vehicle in Killarney that were identified by police as a fentanyl ‘stash site’.

Police were led to the area in southwest Calgary because of information obtained after a bust during a traffic stop on October 20.

Investigators also found:

$11,620 in cash

47 unknown pills

23 grams of cocaine

135 grams of a suspected buffing agent

Two men, Sofonyas Fkade, 24, and Bereketab Gedecho, 30, were arrested.

Fkade has been charged with:

Two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking

Production of a controlled substance

Possession of property obtained by crime

Gedecho has been charged with:

Possession for the purpose of trafficking

Production of a controlled substance.

The smaller bust was made when ALERT searched an apartment in Hillhurst.

There, police seized:

943 fentanyl pills

Nine hydromorphine pills

$6,000 in cash

The target in that investigation, 22-year-old Cody Bryant, had been arrested prior to the bust, during a traffic stop on October 24.

At that time, Bryant was found to have 56 fentanyl pills in his possession.

For that investigation, he has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a controlled substances, and breach of recognizance, with the later charges stemming from a previous CPS firearms investigation.

For the Hillhurst seizure, ALERT says Bryant has been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime, four counts of a breach of recognizance, and breach of probation.

The seizures last week make up the second largest bust of fentanyl in the City of Calgary.

ALERT Staff Sergeant Keith Hurley says that the seizure does make an impact in the drug trade in Alberta, but the fentanyl issue isn't going away.

"Even in the last week here, we've come across two vehicles where we've had powdered fentanyl inside them. We are definitely seeing much more of it than we did a few years ago. It definitely seems to be on the rise. It's a big concern for us, it's a big concern for our officers that are handling and dealing with this stuff."

Constable Chris Gerla, one of the primary investigators in the case, says that the police's work isn't done yet, even with the seizure and arrests.

"Fentanyl is a drug here in Calgary which is more readily available but there are only certain avenues to get it here. We are always going to be looking further into where it is coming from and hopefully we will be able to lay charges in the future."

ALERT Staff Sergeant Martin Schiavetta also says that fentanyl continues to be an extreme problem in the province.

"In Alberta, we have a strong demand for opioid drugs... unfortunately that is fentanyl. It's an extreme problem and the safety concerns for officers and the public are first and foremost."

He says that the drug is extremely deadly and each and every tablet is a serious health concern.