OPP warn public of spam e-mail containing abuse images

Police Briefs

(ORILLIA, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police has received numerous complaints where members of the public from across the province received unsolicited emails which, when opened, contained links to images of child sexual abuse.

The emails, which were received from the email account mail@aloette.me contained directions, that when followed unknowingly exposed the recipient to child sexual abuse imagery.

Recipients of emails from mail@aloette.me are asked to contact their local police and to abstain from opening the emails.

The Ontario Provincial Police would like to remind the public to exercise caution when opening emails received from unfamiliar or unusual accounts. If unsure, a company’s legitimate contact information can typically be confirmed by visiting their website.

Anyone wanting to make a difference is encouraged to go to www.protectchildren.ca to download the “Child Sexual Abuse-It Is Your Business” brochure from the Canadian Center for Child Protection. This is an important first step that can save a child.

Parents are reminded to take a proactive approach to help protect their children from online sexual exploitation by speaking with their children regarding internet safety. Parents and anyone interested in protecting children can find resources to assist them at www.cybertip.ca.

Police are asking anyone who may have information regarding this investigation or if you have information regarding internet child exploitation, please contact the OPP at . If wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crime Stoppers at (TIPS) or 1-800-222-8477 www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca. Reporting information may also be made on the internet through www.cybertip.ca. 1-888-310-1122.

MSV collission

(Dryden, ON) – On January 9, officers from the Dryden Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with the Northwest Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to a report of a single motorized snow vehicle (MSV) collision in Zealand Township (West of Dryden).

Police attended the scene and located the operator who had been ejected from the MSV.

The operator was transported by EMS to the Dryden Regional Health Center with serious injuries.

The OPP remind MSV operators to drive safely and carry an emergency kit with you at all times. This should include a cell phone, back-up charging device for if your phone battery drains quickly due to the cold, a whistle, spare clothing, emergency food and first aid kit and tools to fix your sled in case it breaks down. Check online to find a full list of what your emergency kit should include.

Impaired driver

(MANITOUWADGE , ON) – On January 13, 2021 at approximately 03:19pm, officers of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Manitouwadge detachment received a call regarding a single motor vehicle collision (MVC) on Highway 614 north of Wabikoba Road.

A pickup truck traveling south on 614 crossed the north bound lane and entered the east ditch hitting a rock cut. The driver was transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.

After further investigation the driver, a 47 year-old Manitouwadge man was charged with operate a conveyance with a blood alcohol concentration that was equal to or exceeded 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood.

The driver was later released on an undertaking with conditions to attend court in Manitouwadge on 20 January, 2021 to answer to the charge.

Motorists who drive impaired by alcohol or drugs are subject to drivers licence suspensions, fines, vehicle impoundments, criminal records and increased insurance costs. Please drive responsibly and don’t drink and drive.

The public is encouraged to call 911 or contact police at 1-888-310-1122 whenever suspecting that a driver is impaired while operating a motor vehicle whether it is a Car, Truck, Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile, Boat or even an Airplane.

Festive Ride

(THUNDER BAY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) wrapped up its annual Festive RIDE campaign on January 3, 2021 with preliminary data revealing that 44 motorists were charged with alcohol/drug-impaired driving.

Approximately 14 drivers were issued an immediate Warn Range Suspension on the roadside for registering a Blood Alcohol Concentration between 0.05 and 0.08.

During the campaign, OPP officers conducted 727 RIDE STOP events throughout the North West Region.

The OPP would like to thank citizens for calling police to report suspected impaired drivers during the six-week initiative. The OPP also thanks all citizens who stepped up as designated drivers and took other measures to ensure family and friends did not get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Drivers are reminded that officers continue to conduct Mandatory Alcohol Screening.  This Criminal Code authority makes it mandatory for drivers to comply with a demand for roadside breath testing even when officers have no suspicion that drivers have consumed any alcohol.

The OPP also reminds drivers that officers conduct RIDE STOPS throughout the year on roads, trails and waterways.

Citizens are encouraged to continue reporting suspected impaired drivers to police.

The OPP Festive RIDE Campaign ran from November 26, 2020 to January 3, 2021.

Cannabis

(ORILLIA, ON) – In the last two years, members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team (PJFCET) have tackled illegal cannabis production, sale and distribution enterprises across Ontario.

The PJFCET is responsible for enforcing the cannabis laws and investigating criminal enterprises that exploit or abuse the legal cannabis market and consists of members from: OPP, Kingston Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Barrie Police Service, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Sarnia Police Service, Windsor Police Service, London Police Service, and Niagara Regional Police Service.

Investigators have executed 152 warrants across Ontario, seized over 180,000 cannabis plants, thousands of pounds of dried cannabis, edibles and concentrates and other illicit drugs, $3.2 million Canadian currency and over $1.8 million in proceeds from crime such as property, vehicles and firearms. The PJFCET has laid 1,176 federal Cannabis Act and Criminal Code charges.

The PJFCET partners with OPP Regional Community Street Crime Units, along with members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Emergency Response Team and Tactics and Rescue Unit, Ontario Fire Marshal, Ministry of Environment, Canada Border Services Agency and local municipalities to safeguard and protect communities from the dangers inherent with the illegal cannabis industry.

Communities spread across the province face threats from violence associated with illegal crime activities, from human trafficking, to impacts on the environment, including the quality of life when surrounded by large-scale illegal cannabis facilities. The OPP takes you inside a facility in a rare video that looks at the magnitude of these illegal operations and the impact they have on the community.

These sophisticated operations exploit Health Canada registrations to produce or designate someone to produce, cannabis for medical purposes by diverting cannabis authorized to be grown for medical purposes to the illegal market.

Cutting off the illegal supply is not only related to enforcement and arrests. The OPP continues to work with online platform operators to remove illegal cannabis sites that are selling unsafe and unregulated cannabis products.

“The PJFCET’s initial focus was on storefronts and then shifted to the online space. Now, we are targeting the illegal cannabis sites where we see the magnitude of the scope of these illegal operations. They are not small operations growing for personal use. They are lucrative criminal networks funding other criminality. This is organized crime at its highest level,” explains Detective Inspector Jim Walker, OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Provincial Joint Forces Cannabis Enforcement Team.

LEARN MORE

The only way to purchase legal cannabis in Ontario is through the online Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) or in-person at an Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)-authorized private retailer. Purchasing legal cannabis is the only way to ensure the cannabis has met the health and safety standards set out by the Government of Canada and Ontario. Illegal cannabis often does not match what is being advertised, recent testing of illegal cannabis products indicated lower than advertised THC levels and the use of banned pesticides. The purchase of cannabis from anywhere other than the online OCS or an authorized private retailer could lead to a fine of up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year.