RCMP show off ecstasy pills seized Monday in the Halifax area. (CBC)

Organized crime groups in B.C. are capitalizing on the Olympic spirit by selling ecstasy pills branded with the Olympic ring logo as far away as Nova Scotia, RCMP say.

RCMP seized 12,000 colourful ecstasy pills — many branded with the Olympic logo — in the Halifax area on Monday. Three people were arrested.

Investigators believe the pills were produced by organized crime groups in B.C., said Const. Craig Foley, who is with the RCMP's synthetic drug unit.

Foley said criminals are trying to cash in on a popular symbol as the Vancouver Olympics draw near.

"This typifies the marketing savvy used by organized crime groups to attract young customers by incorporating brightly coloured modern pop-culture symbols," he said in a news release Wednesday.

Foley said "large quantities" of the tablets were stamped with the Olympic ring logo, but didn't say how many. He said each tablet sells for between $8 and $10 on the street.

In December, police in B.C. discovered 107,000 ecstasy tablets at a home in Vancouver. Some were imprinted with the Olympic rings symbol.

Vancouver's Olympic organizing committee has vigorously pursued unlicensed use of the Olympic symbols in the past. A spokesman said the committee was aware of the seizure by Vancouver police and would continue to be vigilant in monitoring trademark infringements.

Busts in Halifax area

RCMP in Nova Scotia say they also uncovered a loaded .22-calibre revolver and drug paraphernalia in the raid on a self-storage locker in Bayers Lake and a condominium in Bedford.

RCMP have charged three people with drug-related offences:

• Benjamin Alexander Langille, 26, of Bedford.
• Nicholas Damien Daaboul, 28, of Bayside.
• Lindsay Natasha Dow, 21, of Bayside.

RCMP said Monday's bust was related to a seizure of 6,500 ecstasy tablets in Bedford on Dec. 22. Shane Norman Baker, 24, of Bedford, was charged with possession for the purposes of trafficking in that raid.

Foley said this only the "tip of the iceberg" of the amount of ecstasy in Nova Scotia.

He warned that a high percentage of tablets sold as ecstasy contain other drugs such as ketamine and methamphetamine so that producers can cut costs.

"It's really a gamble as to what you're consuming," said Foley.