HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-12-02, Page 6Goderich Signal -Star. Wednesday, December 2, 2009 - Page 5
Bayfield man among 36 nabbed in
massive drug bust
A 40 -year-old male has been
charged with Production of a
Controlled Substance, Posses-
sion of a Controlled Substance
and Possession of Property
Obtained by Crime. He has
been released on a Promise to
Appear and is scheduled to ap-
pear in the Ontario Court of
Justice, Goderich on December
21, 2009
The investigation remains
on;;oing.
Kam Dubinski
sun media
A 23 -year-old Bayfield man
is among 36 people arrested
as part of a massive London-
based . drug probe that saw
several criminal groups iden-
tified as trafficking drugs into
the Windsor area and on to the
U.S.
Several suspected high-level
drug traffickers and street -level
dealers have been busted after
a months -long investigation in
London in which
$2.6 million in
drugs, $300,000
in vehicles -- and
even a house --
were seized.
Thirty-six
people, most of
them Londoners,
face 127 charges
after what police
dubbed Proj-
ect Ulverston, a
joint investiga-
tion between the
OPP Organized
Crime Enforce-
ment Bureau, the
RCMP and Lon-
don police.
"It's very sat-
isfying to dis-
rupt people who
may have _been
involved in the
drug trade for
years," said OPP
Staff Sgt. Bill
O'Shea, who
headed the in-
vestigation.
"People always
ask us, 'When are
you going to get the big guys?'
The investigation began in
June. About $2.6 million worth
of drugs was seized, including
60 kilograms of ecstasy, worth
about $2 million on the street.
The drugs were destined for
Windsor and then the United
States, police say.
"Some of the drugs originat-
ed in the GTA, others originat-
ed outside of Canada," O'Shea
said.
"Cocaine has to come from
a different source country,
but Canada is unfortunately a
source country for ecstasy, so
some of these drugs obviously
could've originated within our
borders."
Police also seized ecstasy
and cocaine, crack cocaine,
marijuana, hashish and magic
mushrooms.
They seized cash and 11 vehi-
cles and boats worth $300,000,
as well as a London home.
"We did hundreds of hours
of surveillance and recorded
hours of private conversations,"
O'Shea said. "There were pri-
mary targets and through the
course of the investigation, we
found secondary targets. This
kind of investigation can really
mushroom.
THE BUST BY THE
NUMBERS
3: police agencies involved
36: people charged
127: charges laid •
60: kilograms of ecstasy
seized
1,576: pot plants seized
300,000: dollar amount of
cash, vehicles and boats
seized
2,600,000: total dollar
amount of all the drugs
seized
"People
think of orga-
nized crime
as biker gangs
or street gangs
or the Mafia.
But really, it's
people work-
ing together
for a criminal
activity. They
might not fly a
flag, but they
do work to-
gether."
O'Shea said
OPP were al-
ready work-
ing with Lon-
don police in
January when
they realized
there was "sig-
nificant case
overlap" with
people being
investigated
by the RCMP.
The three then
decided to join
forces.
Hundreds of
officers were
involved in the
massive bust throughout the
investigation, O'Shea said.
All 36 people charged
have made court appear-
ances and their charges are
working their way through
court. The charges include
participation in a criminal
organization, trafficking in
controlled substances and
conspiracy to traffic in con-
trolled substances.
Of those charged, 29 live
in London. Others are from
Sarnia, Denfield, Windsor,
Belmont, St. Thomas, Mis-
sissauga and a 23 -year-old
man from Bayfield.
OPP Det. Insp. Randy
Rosiak encouraged people
not to be afraid to report
suspicious activity.
"These accused used the an-
onymity of everyday society
to conduct their activity," he
said.
"Crime prevention is a shared
responsibility and one that we
all need to take a lot more seri-
ously."
SEARCH WARRANT
EXECUTED IN HURON
One man is facing numerous
drug-related charges after a
Whys Line residence search.
On November 26, members
of the Ontario Provincial Police
Organized Crime Enforcement
Bureau — Drug Enforcement
Unit, Emergency Response
Team and K9 Unit executed
a Controlled Drugs and Sub-
stances Act Search Warrant at
a residence on Whys Line in
the Municipality of Central
Huron.
As a result, police located a
quantity of marihuana with an
estimated street value of $2,250
and one stolen motor vehicle.
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