13 charged, 315K street-level fentanyl doses seized after 19-month eastern Ontario OPP investigation

A 19-month eastern Ontario fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking investigation, led by the Ontario Provincial police, has ended in charges for 13 people and more than 315,000 street-level doses of the drug being taken off the streets.

The OPP says Project HELSTON was an intelligence-led investigation by its Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB), with assistance from the Cornwall Royal Canadian Mounted Police Border Integrity Unit. 

An influx of illegal substances in eastern Ontario prompted the investigation in March of 2020.

Over the course of the investigation, officers were able to identify three criminal networks: one producing illicit fentanyl and trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in large quantities; one trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in large quantities; and another trafficking cocaine in large quantities.

Police executed four search warrants in Mississauga, Cornwall and Ottawa on November 3, 2021, and seized:

• 31.5 kilograms of fentanyl;
• 7.5 kilograms of cocaine;
• 68 oxycodone pills;
• A handgun with 17 rounds of ammunition; and
• Four vehicles as offence-related property, with a combined value of approximately $107,000

The drugs seized in the investigation have an estimated street-value of more than $13.3-million.

The 13 people charged are facing 141 charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and Criminal Code. Two of the accused are from Ottawa, one is from Gatineau, one is from Cornwall, two are from Akwesasne, Quebec, one is from Newington, and the rest are from the Toronto area.

“Project HELSTON has revealed a blatant disregard for human life demonstrated by the individuals involved in the production and trafficking of illicit fentanyl and cocaine. The sheer impact of the potential number of street-level doses of fentanyl seized by investigators is absolutely shocking,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Chuck Cox, Investigations and Organized Crime.

The OPP says the prevalence of fentanyl in eastern Ontario communities continues to rise. 

Investigators have been conservative with street-level dose estimates in Project HELSTON, as dose size is subjective and varies from one individual to another.

The accused are expected to appear at an Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa on various dates throughout November.