The RCMP say 14 people are facing a total of 48 charges following a 10-month drug trafficking investigation in Lunenburg County and the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Police launched Operation Hamlin last fall. Roughly 100 officers arrested 10 people while searching eight homes Wednesday morning.

Officers seized powder and crack cocaine, prescription pills, marijuana, marijuana grow-op equipment, cash and firearms during the drug bust.

Three people were arrested last week in connection with Operation Hamlin and police say an arrest warrant will be issued Thursday for Kyle Richard Young, who has yet to be located. The 23-year-old Simms Settlement man is facing charges of trafficking cocaine and failure to comply with conditions of a probation order.

Four people are due to appear in Halifax provincial court Thursday:

·         Brian Anthony Gough, 47, of Hammonds Plains is facing three counts of trafficking crack cocaine, eight counts of failure to comply with conditions of an undertaking and possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

·         Alden Norman Oliver, 51, of Hammonds Plains is facing three counts of trafficking crack cocaine and possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

·         Farron Daryl Simms, 48, of Hammonds Plains is facing three counts of trafficking crack cocaine, trafficking powder cocaine, and possession of crack cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

·         Sean Robert Simms, 43, of Hammonds Plains is facing two counts of trafficking crack cocaine.

Nine people are due to appear in Bridgewater provincial court Thursday:

·         Gavin Kyle Levy, 32, of Chester Grant is facing two counts of trafficking prescription pills and five counts of failure to comply with conditions of an undertaking.

·         Dwayne Lea Veinotte, 37, of Chester, is facing two counts of trafficking prescription pills.

·         Kimberley Ann Lohnes, 50, of East Chester is facing three counts of trafficking prescription pills.

·         Wade Bruce Lohnes, 45, of East Chester is facing three counts of trafficking prescription pills and unlawfully producing marijuana.

·         Patrick Mark Lando Roberts, 20, of Chester Basin is charged with trafficking cocaine.

·         Ralph Thomas Hatt, 51, of Gold River, is facing two counts of trafficking marijuana and possession for the purpose of trafficking.

·         Drake Andrew Countway, 20, of Chester Basin is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

·         Nicole Lee Coolen, 27, of Western Shore is charged with possession of prescription pills.

·         Alvin Swinimer, 83, of Western Shore is charged with possession of prescription pills.

The arrests bring relief, and regret along Nova Scotia’s south shore.

Tamara Ballard lost her son to an accidental overdose of prescription medication.

“It’s a bitter sweet day, you know, I remember my boy he didn’t need to die, but nobody else needs to die, good on the RCMP for the investigation,” says advocate Tamara Ballard.

Following her son’s death, Ballard became an advocate for the organization, Get Prescription Drugs off the Street.

They raised their concerns with local RCMP.

“We listen to their angst, their worries about prescription drug use, illicit drug use,” says SuperintendentSylvie Bourassa-Muise of the Nova Scotia RCMP.

RCMP say as many as 11 people have died from drug related deaths in the area, a driving force behind the multi-unit operation.

For now, Ballard’s focus turns to the desperate user and her call for help and put an end to the demand.

“We don’t have the support out there to help these people get off these medications,” she says. “Our government keeps cutting our services and yes, the economy has to come from somewhere, but that doesn’t help the addict out there get away from this.”

Police say Operation Hamlin is ongoing and investigators expect to make more arrests and lay additional charges.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Marie Adsett.