Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) East Region Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) and Belleville Police Service have shut down a significant crystal methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking operation in eastern Ontario.
CSCU officers, along with members of the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB), OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT) and Belleville Police Service launched the investigation, dubbed “Project Esher”, in early 2020. Initial arrests occurred on May 27 after a traffic stop on Hwy 401 in Quinte West, in which officers seized several kilograms of suspected crystal meth and two people were arrested.
On Aug. 27, CSCU, Belleville Police and OPP OCEB members executed search warrants in Belleville and Toronto. Two people were arrested and officers seized nearly two kilograms of crystal meth, a quantity of cocaine, over $130,000 in Canadian currency and two loaded handguns.
A 31-year-old of Loyalist Township is charged with:
- Possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a Prohibition Order
- Resisting a Peace Officer
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime
- Failure to comply with an undertaking
- Failure to comply with a Probation Order
- Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
A 29-year-old of Quinte West is charged with:
- Dangerous operation
- Flight from Peace Officer
- Resisting a Peace Officer
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime
- Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
A 23-year-old of Quinte West is charged with:
- Possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a Prohibition Order
- Careless storage of a firearm
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm
- Possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm
- Possession of prohibited or restricted firearm/ammunition
- Conspiracy to commit and indictable offence
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime
- Traffick in Schedule 1 substance
- Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
a 24-year-old of Scarborough has been charged with:
- Possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a Prohibition Order
- Careless storage of a firearm
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm
- Possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm
- Possession of prohibited or restricted firearm/ammunition
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime
- Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
All accused persons have been remanded in custody with appearances scheduled before the Ontario Court of Justice in Belleville.