More than $8M worth of drugs, firearms seized in joint forces investigation, Ontario police say

Several Ontario police forces have seized more than $8 million worth of illegal drugs and firearms in a months-long investigation.

At a news conference hosted by York Regional Police on Wednesday, investigators from multiple police forces announced the arrest of 23 people, 387 criminal charges laid and the seizure of 29 handguns in Ontario.

The joint forces investigation was conducted by Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) alongside police forces from Barrie, Ottawa, York and Peel regions, as well as Toronto and Durham police.

The four-month probe resulted in the seizure of 25 kilograms of cocaine, 12 kilograms of fentanyl, five kilograms of crystal meth, and 260,000 methamphetamine tablets. In total, police say the illegal drugs and weapons seized carry a street value of more than $8 million. 

"[This] has revealed criminal networks that are a threat to our public safety," said Paul Mackey, Chief Superintendent of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau. 

Of the 23 accused in the investigation, one person was a federal parolee who was allegedly violating the conditions of his parole, police say.

"We discovered not one, but three criminal networks were responsible for selling vast quantities of listed drugs," said OPP Det.-Insp. Lee Fulford.

As a result of the investigation, police executed 14 search warrants across the province.

Police also conducted a search of Milton's Maplehurst Correctional Complex and the Collins Bay Federal Institution in Kingston. 

Fulford says the reason was to gather evidence against three accused who were allegedly trafficking illegal weapons while behind bars. 

The OPP say investigators are continuing to work with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to tackle illegal gun trafficking through the border between Canada and the U.S.

"Criminal networks and criminal organizations are very, very good and very adaptive to smuggling contraband into the country through water, sea, air, train," said Fulford.

"That's why we do these investigations."