OPP officials allege: Seven people are facing dozens of charges after a multijurisdictional investigation led to the seizure of more than 6.5 kilograms of illicit drugs and several firearms in southwestern Ontario.
The Ontario Provincial Police-led Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team launched an intelligence-led investigation in January into suspected drug trafficking in the region, identifying two criminal networks operating independently — one in the Brantford and Brant County area and another in London and on the Oneida Nation of the Thames Settlement.
On July 7, the team executed search warrants at four locations in Brantford and Paris with help from the OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, Haldimand and Oxford County OPP Community Street Crime Units and the Brantford Police Service.
On Aug. 12, investigators executed further search warrants at a residence in London and on the Oneida Nation of the Thames Settlement, working alongside the Oneida Police Service, OPP Provincial Liaison Team, OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Middlesex, Lambton and Oxford County OPP Community Street Crime Units and the London Police Service.
Officers seized approximately 6.5 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 420 grams of suspected cocaine, 250 grams of suspected methamphetamine and more than $73,500 in cash, along with a handgun fitted with an auto-switch, a rifle, three prohibited magazines including an over-capacity drum magazine, ammunition, brass knuckles and drug trafficking paraphernalia. Two stolen camper trailers and a stolen 2019 Honda Civic were also recovered.
Police estimated the street value of the drugs at more than $913,000 and the value of the stolen property at more than $100,000. The amount of fentanyl seized represents roughly 65,000 potentially lethal street-level doses.
Seven people have been charged with a total of 64 offences under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Five were arrested, while arrest warrants remain outstanding for two others.
“Every quantity of fentanyl removed from circulation is a quantity that cannot reach our neighbourhoods, put lives at risk or contribute to the devastating impacts of substance use and drug trafficking. This outcome reflects the strength of intelligence-led policing and partnership-based enforcement, and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to disrupting criminal networks, removing dangerous drugs and firearms from our communities and enhancing public safety across Ontario,” said OPP Acting Det. Supt. Andy Bradford of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.
Oneida Police Service Sgt. Jamie Doxtator said the community remains committed to working with police to keep drugs and violence out of the area.
“Oneida Nation is committed to keeping the flow of illicit drugs and drug trafficking outside of our community. We have seen firsthand the impact that addictions, drug-related crime, and the illegal firearms associated with these activities have had on our loved ones, community members, and others who enter our community. We value our strong partnership with the Ontario Provincial Police and the dedication of the Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team to disrupting drug trafficking networks and removing illegal firearms from our community. These efforts are an important part of protecting our residents, supporting public safety, and creating a safer community for everyone. We remain committed to working collaboratively with our policing partners to address the root causes and impacts of illicit drugs, organized networks and illegal firearms, while continuing to protect the safety and well-being of the Oneida Nation community,” Doxtator said.
Anyone with information about illegal firearms or drug trafficking is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
