Largest crystal meth bust in N.L. history results in charges for St. John's duo
RCMP found a wide range of drugs and loaded weapons
Assault rifles, shotguns, cocaine, meth and money were laid out on tables at RCMP headquarters in St. John's on Wednesday.
It was dubbed Project Blowfish — the largest seizure of crystal meth in the province's history — and it resulted in two people from St. John's being arrested.
Along with three kilos of coke and 350 grams of crystal, the bust came with a veritable smorgasbord of other drugs — 300 blotters of LSD, 28 grams of ecstasy, 120 oxycodone pills, 454 grams of mushrooms, 120 grams of hash, 15 pounds of weed and hundreds of vials of various steroids.
This investigation started with a tip about 3 kilos of cocaine being delivered from Montreal to a house in St. John’s.<br><br>The cocaine is packaged and stamped with luxury brand logos, like “Gucci”.<a href="https://twitter.com/RCMPNL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RCMPNL</a> officers raided the house, seized the coke, then searched the place. <a href="https://t.co/69bxvO8CB3">pic.twitter.com/69bxvO8CB3</a>
—@zachgoudieA 25-year-old and a 21-year-old, both residing in St. John's, were arrested and charged with various drug trafficking charges and three counts of careless storage of a firearm.
Police estimate the street value of the drugs was around $1 million.
Trafficking linked to organized crime, police say
It's the second large seizure of cocaine since April 1, after Project Bowman swept up a handful of men and nine kilograms of the substance.
"These are large amounts of cocaine coming into our province within a short period of time – undoubtedly, organized crime groups are behind these shipments," said Staff-Sgt. Stefan Thoms.
Inside they found a huge quantity of drugs, guns and cash. This is 350 grams of crystal meth, by far the largest amount ever seized by police in NL. <a href="https://t.co/Jmnea7nrCo">pic.twitter.com/Jmnea7nrCo</a>
—@zachgoudieProject Blowfish kicked off when RCMP intercepted three kilograms of cocaine en route from Montreal to St. John's. They then executed a search warrant at a house in St. John's and found a huge assortment of other drugs, weapons and $90,600 in cash.
They also found six firearms, including a loaded tactical shotgun, two pump-action shotguns, a .22 calibre rifle and two handguns.
Police also seized a motorcycle, an SUV, a "high end sports car," and "high end jewelry."