Four people are facing criminal and drug charges following the execution of search warrants obtained through a joint investigation between the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County OPP, the Belleville Police Service (BPS) and the Kingston Police Force (KPF) last month.
The L&A County OPP Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) was engaged in an investigation into the distribution of illegal drugs within the county. When linkages to both Kingston and Belleville became apparent through the investigation, a collaborative effort was undertaken by all three police services. The investigation led investigators to residences and other commercial locations in Deseronto, Napanee, Kingston and the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands (Lansdowne). On March 18 and 19, 2021 members of the OPP’s Emergency Response, Tactics and Rescue and Canine units along with members of both Kingston and Belleville Police services executed search warrants at all four locations.
Officers seized firearms, drug paraphernalia, suspected Cocaine (nearly 300g), Methamphetamine (nearly 150g ) and Fentanyl ( nearly 2g) along with nearly $2000 in Canadian currency. Estimated street value of all seized items is estimated to be nearly $70,000.
In total, seven people were arrested, with four of those people ultimately being charged. As a result of the investigation the following people have been charged:
A 40-year-old of Kingston contrary to the Criminal Code with:
- Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose;
- Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm;
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited firearm;
- Two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order.
The suspect was further charged contrary to the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with:
- Three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I substance (Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Fentanyl)
A 48-year-old of Kingston was charged with:
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited firearm;
- Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose;
- Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm;
- Two counts of possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order;
- Two counts of unsafe storage of a firearm; and
- Possession of a prohibited device.
The suspect was further charged contrary to the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with:
- Three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I substance (Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Fentanyl)
A 30-year-old of Greater Napanee was charged with:
- Two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm; and,
- Two counts of fail to comply with a release order.
The suspect was further charged under the Controlled Drug and Substance Act with
- Three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I substance (Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Fentanyl)
A 59-year-old of Greater Napanee was charged with:
- Trafficking a Schedule I substance (Cocaine) contrary to the Controlled Drug and Substance Act
All accused were released on undertakings and are scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Greater Napanee on May, 11, 2021.
“Once again, this investigation highlights the fact that criminals do not heed municipal boundaries” says L&A County Detachment Commander, Insp. Scott Semple. “In order to put a dent in these types of criminal activities police services must demonstrate an ability to work together. We cannot overstate the value we place in the relationships we have with both the Belleville and Kingston Police services which benefits all three of our communities”.