A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for two of three people facing drug-related charges following a trafficking investigation in Ponoka this summer.
Aaron James Olsen, 42, of Beaver County, and Paige Tamara Ziegler, 30, of Drayton Valley, are slated to find out on Jan. 9, 2026, if their case has enough evidence to go to trial.
Their arrests came after officers observed a man on July 30, 2025, allegedly trafficking controlled substances in a vehicle at a property in Ponoka.
Police stopped the man and arrested him, as well as the passenger of the vehicle.
“The collaborative efforts between multiple RCMP specialized teams has led to the successful arrest of a violent priority offender and the disruption of drug trafficking activities in central Alberta,” said Cst. Tom Rutland in a media release at the time of the arrests. “The targeted enforcement operation, involving the Wetaskiwin Crime Reduction Unit, Central Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit (CAD CRU), K Air Services, Emergency Response Team, Ponoka RCMP, K RTOC and Police Dog Services, resulted in multiple arrests, seizures of illegal drugs, cash and a firearm.”
Mounties say Olsen was wanted by police on two counts of assaulting a police officer, two counts of resisting arrest, flight from police, mischief, and possession of a controlled substance.
After authorities searched his vehicle, they seized multiple items including $6,850 in currency, 90 grams fentanyl, 112 grams of cocaine, 149 grams of methamphetamine, and a firearm.
They then searched a residence in Ponoka and seized $1,360 in currency, 20 grams of methamphetamine, drug trafficking materials including scales and baggies, brass knuckles and ammunition.
On top of his warrants, police say Olsen was also charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance; three counts of weapons offences; possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000; and three counts of possession of a weapon contrary to order.
He was taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody.
Police also charged Paige Ziegler, who was the passenger of the vehicle, with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance and three counts of weapons offences.
Ziegler was also taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody.
Thirdly, the occupant of the Ponoka residence, 46-year-old Lauren Elliot Curtis, was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000.
Curtis was taken before a Justice of the Peace and released. His next court date is Oct. 17, 2025, in Ponoka Court of Justice.
Related: Violent offender arrested in Ponoka; plus one from Drayton Valley charged
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