Saskatchewan RCMP have arrested 16
people, including the self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada,’ in connection to an ongoing investigation in Richmound on Wednesday.
Romana Didulo, the leader of the fringe conspiracy group, and her followers have been living in an old school in the remote Saskatchewan village of Richmound since September 2023. Saskatchewan RCMP held a press conference on Wednesday afternoon to provide details of the investigation.
Officers executed a search warrant around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the former school after receiving a report on Aug. 25 of someone with a firearm. “After receiving this report, Saskatchewan RCMP began an extensive investigation. This included careful monitoring of any risk to public safety and to the community of Richmound,” Inspector Ashley St. Germaine, senior investigator with Saskatchewan RCMP’s Major Crimes Branch told reporters in Regina Wednesday afternoon. “A team of skilled and experienced senior officers was established to oversee this large and complex operation,” she said. St. Germaine said the response was made up of RCMP officers from across the province, including help from the Regina Police Service SWAT program, noting that there were over 30 police vehicles and two tactical vehicles at the scene.
“The safety of the public and our officers is the top priority in any situation. We carefully examined the components of the property prior to the execution of the search warrant. This maximized the likelihood of a quick, smooth and safe operation,” St. Germaine explained. According to St. Germaine, there were about eight RVs parked on the property, with a team of officers clearing the RVs and another team clearing the building.
“Officers arrested 17 individuals, 10 were arrested inside the building, six were arrested in the RVs, and one was arrested outside a residence in Richmond. The buildings were cleared, and all individuals were arrested by 6 a.m.,” she said. “The next phase of the investigation is now in its early stages.”
Source: ctvnews.ca/regina
