A resident of East Gwillimbury and three others are facing charges under the Criminal Code (CC) and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) after nearly two kilograms of suspected cocaine was seized in connection with a drug trafficking investigation in Thunder Bay.
On December 10, 2024, three search warrants were executed at residences in Thunder Bay and Kakabeka Falls by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG), OPP Emergency Response Team, OPP Community Street Crime Unit, Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) Emergency Task Unit and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS). The Toronto Police Service Drug Squad also assisted with this investigation.
As a result of the search warrants, police seized:
- 1.7 kilograms of suspected cocaine
- $257,000 in Canadian currency
- Four cell phones
- Three digital scales
- One laptop computer
The estimated street-value of the drugs seized is $170,000.
A 30-year-old man of East Gwillimbury, a 62-year-old man of Thunder Bay, a 43-year-old woman of Thunder Bay and a 70-year-old man from Kakabeka Falls have each been charged with: Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine.
One of the accused remains in custody and the other three accused were released. They are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay on various dates.
The OPP would like to thank TBPS, NAPS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for their support of the PGNG program.
Anyone with any information about illegal firearms or the possession, manufacturing or trafficking of illicit drugs should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
PGNG MANDATE
Street gangs are migrating across Ontario which has resulted in an increase in the number of illegal firearms entering our communities. The OPP-led PGNG is dedicated to disrupting criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multijurisdictional drug trafficking investigations and reducing the number of illegal firearms in the province of Ontario. The PGNG is comprised of members from 20 police services in both Ontario and Quebec as well as the RCMP.
