OPP officials allege: The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (GNG JFO) and Sarnia Police Service Vice Unit, has shut down a large trafficking operation in London.
On January 26, 2023, GNG JFO members, including officers from the London, Windsor, Brantford and Waterloo Regional Police, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, executed two search warrants in the City of London.
This was a collaborative effort with the Sarnia Police Service Vice Unit, the OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit and OPP Emergency Response Team.
Investigators seized over 15 kilograms of fentanyl, over three kilograms of cocaine as well as quantities of MDMA, Xanax and hundreds of tablets of Oxycodone and Hydromorphone, all with a total street value of more than $3.1 million.
Officers also seized prohibited ammunition, a handgun, and a replica handgun, cash, a laptop and cell phones.
Two people were arrested and charged under the Criminal Code (CC).
A 23-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, both of London, are each charged with:
– Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – six counts
– Unlicenced person possessing a prohibited or restricted weapon – Criminal Code (CC)
– Possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon – (CC)
The 23-year-old is also charged with failing to comply with an undertaking, as he was already under conditions not to possess weapons.
The accused were held for bail and remain in custody.
On November 16, 2021, the Government of Ontario announced an investment of $75.1-million to reinforce the fight against gun and gang violence in communities across Ontario, including establishing a Guns and Gangs JFO.
The Guns and Gangs JFO is led by the OPP and consists of the following police services: Anishinabek Police Service; Barrie Police Service; Brantford Police Service; Halton Regional Police Service; Kingston Police; London Police Service; Niagara Regional Police Service; Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service; North Bay Police Service; Ottawa Police Service; Peel Regional Police; Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Sudbury Police Service; Sûreté du Québec; Gatineau Police Service; Toronto Police Service; Waterloo Regional Police Service; Windsor Police Service; and York Regional Police.
