Beaver Staff
A joint investigation by several police agencies, including the Napanee OPP, led to charges of conspiracy, cocaine trafficking and weapons offences after the execution of search warrants in Greater Napanee, Prince Edward County, Scarborough and Belleville on Monday.
Working collaboratively with Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), members of the OPP’s Community Street Crime Unit began an investigation that ultimately expanded to include assistance from policing partners in Belleville and Toronto.
On Feb. 11 officers executed search warrants at five separate locations; a residence and a business in Napanee, a business in Prince Edward County and a residence in Scarborough. Three people were taken into custody in Napanee, one was taken into custody in Scarborough and returned to the care of CSC and one person was arrested at a residence in Belleville.
As a result of the search warrants police seized three firearms, ammunition, several thousand dollars in cash as well as a quantity of both powder cocaine and cocaine pills along with other paraphernalia.
“This investigation highlights perfectly how the mandates of various enforcement agencies have all contributed to public safety and well-being through collaboration and information sharing”, says Inspector Scott Semple, Napanee OPP’s detachment commander. “This investigation would not have been such a success without the assistance of Correctional Service of Canada, the Belleville Police Service and the Toronto Police Service. Our communities are safer as a result of the work done by all these agencies.”
As a result of the investigation, three Napanee residents, aged 22, 51 and 52, were charged with unlawful possession and storage of firearms (five counts), possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, with the 22-year-old also facing charges to of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
A 37-year-old Scarborough man had his parole revoked and charged with possession of cocaine for trafficking, trafficking cocaine, procession of proceeds of crime and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.
An 86-year-old Belleville man was charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and possession of proceeds of crime.
All of the charged persons will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Napanee in early March.
The investigation is continuing.
Any person with information regarding the investigation is requested to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).