ALMOST 5 KG OF COCAINE AND OVER 3KG OF CRYSTAL METH SEIZED IN WEST NIPISSING

(WEST NIPISSING, ON) – Several residents of the Municipality of West Nipissing and the surrounding area are facing numerous charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and the Criminal Code of Canada after the conclusion of a drug trafficking investigation.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) and the North Bay Police Service (NBPS) began Project INTREPID, a five-month investigation, with the objective of targeting individuals responsible for trafficking controlled substances into the community. This intelligence-led investigation gleaned evidence that the targets within Project INTREPID trafficked significant volumes of controlled substances, including cocaine, methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets and fentanyl throughout West Nipissing and the surrounding area.

On March 13, 2020, police executed four warrants in the West Nipissing area. The enforcement efforts were led by the North Bay and Sudbury OCEB Organized Crime Teams and supported by Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and K9, the West Nipissing and Temiskaming Detachments and the NBPS Street Crime Unit. During the course of the investigation, the team combined to seize the following suspected drugs of approximate weight and number: 4.95 kg of cocaine, 3.3 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 2,065 methamphetamine tablets, 58 grams of fentanyl, two Percocet pills and 23 hydromorphone pills. Additionally, warrants executed led to the seizure of electronics including 12 cellphones as well as $5,300 in Canadian currency, ammunition and two vehicles.

As a result of Project INTREPID, a total of seven people have been charged with 64 offences. A full list can be found on the ADDENDUM OF CHARGED PERSONS within the attachments along with photos of seized evidence.

Several of the accused were held in custody upon arrest and are expected to appear at an Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay in the coming months. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected to be laid.