Insp. Kevin Galvin, shown here Thursday, says the size of two recent meth seizures in Edmonton is a cause for concern. (CBC)The discovery of $700,000 worth of methamphetamine in a southwest Edmonton townhouse has police worried about a resurgence of the illicit drug in the city.

"The spike is concerning to us," said Insp. Kevin Galvin with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT).

On Thursday, officers with Edmonton Police and ALERT seized seven kilograms of meth and 1.5 kilograms of cocaine valued at about $90,000 from a townhouse at Terwillegar Drive and 23rd Avenue.

On Jan. 29, police seized 8.5 kilograms of methamphetamine during a search of four city residences, including three apartments in the Liberty Building at 105th St. and Jasper Avenue. More than 1,500 ecstasy pills, 900 grams of marijuana and four ounces of cocaine were also seized.

During the recent Alberta boom, cocaine was more the drug of choice. But now cocaine is not as popular, possibly because the Olympics have cut off the usual supply routes, Galvin said.

Meth profitable for gangs

Organized crime members may be attracted to meth because its highly addictive properties means people have to keep buying it once they're hooked, he said.

"Methamphetamine was always an issue here, but our seizures were quite low and two large-quantity seizures back-to-back like this we feel, for this city, is something we have to be mindful of," he said. "Seven kilos is 70,000 single units for sale, so yeah, this is quite significant."

A 23-year old man from Edmonton has been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one of count of possession of stolen property in relation to this week's discovery.

The man is also charged with violating his parole for an earlier drug-related offence and a conviction for assault with a weapon.

Police don't believe the two drug busts were related. The meth wasn't manufactured in the townhouse. Instead, Galvin said, the residence functioned as more of a warehousing facility.