NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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Members of the Central Region Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU), in partnership with the Barrie Police Service (BPS), have charged 11 people with 104 offences under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and Criminal Code as part of a joint drug trafficking investigation in Simcoe County.
The Central Region CSCU-led Project Holcus commenced in April of 2022, in partnership with BPS, in response to fatal and non-fatal overdoses linked to trafficking of crack cocaine and fentanyl in Simcoe County between Jan. 1 and June 6, 2022.
On June 8, 2022, police executed 11 search warrants in Springwater Township, Barrie and across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Whitby and Ajax. Members of the OPP Emergency Response Team, OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, OPP Canine Unit, BPS, Toronto Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Peterborough Police Service, Peel Regional Police Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and York Regional Police Service assisted with the execution of the search warrants.
As a result of the investigation, police seized (approximate values):
- 509 grams of fentanyl
- 3,358 grams of cocaine
- 33 grams of crack cocaine
- 741 grams of methamphetamine
- 347 grams of heroin
- 1,446 unidentified prescription capsules
- $81,460 Canadian currency
- Money counter
- Cutting agent
- FBE 509 handgun
- Glock 43 handgun
- Glock 40 handgun
- Glock 19 handgun
- 73 rounds of 9 mm ammunition
- 42 rounds of .40-calibre ammunition
- Bulletproof vest
- 2015 Infinity Q5S
- 2014 BMW B7X
- 2014 Jeep Cherokee
- 2017 Mercedes C45
- 18 cellular phones
- Eight digital scales
The amount of fentanyl seized in this investigation represents approximately 5,090 street-level doses.
Eleven people, including two Barrie residents, are facing 104 CDSA and Criminal Code charges including trafficking cocaine and fentanyl, possession of weapons and property obtained by crime.
Illicit drugs continue to pose a significant threat to community safety and well-being. Anyone who suspects drug trafficking activity in our communities is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
As a law-enforcement organization, the OPP’s role in the opioid crisis is to investigate opioid-related incidences with an acute focus on the apprehension of those who produce, import and traffic illegal drugs. Police are targeting organized crime groups responsible for distributing opioids and holding them accountable for trafficking these drugs that contribute to the opioid crisis in our province.
To find out more about the dangers of fentanyl and short-term antidotes, we encourage everyone to visit www.facethefentanyl.ca, part of an awareness campaign supported by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Visit www.opp.ca/opioids for more resources, including annual reports on opioids in OPP jurisdictions.
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