News release from Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
Nine accused are facing 44 charges following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG).
Project CRANIUM began in the fall of 2023, when police learned of two individuals trafficking illicit drugs in the City of Barrie. Further investigation revealed that a sophisticated criminal network was operating out of the Greater Toronto Area, Simcoe County and Durham Region. Illicit drugs were being purchased from a source supplier and trafficked to a mid-level purchaser before being sold to local traffickers throughout Southern Ontario.
On January 21, 2024, the OPP executed 16 search warrants in Toronto; 11 at residences, four on vehicles and one at a storage locker. Seized items include but are not limited to:
- 173 kilograms of suspected crystal methamphetamine;
- 56 kilograms of suspected cocaine;
- 500 grams of suspected fentanyl;
- two prohibited handguns, one of which was loaded;
- ammunition;
- more than $620,000 in Canadian currency;
- evidence of drug production (e.g. two cocaine presses, etc.); and,
- four vehicles.
The illicit drugs seized have a potential street value of more than $13 million.
A video about Project Cranium is available here: https://youtu.be/z9B58miX_cA.
PGNG is a joint forces operation comprised of members from 21 police services. A full list of partners can be found below, under "About PGNG." Additional supports were provided by the Barrie Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, Toronto Police Service and York Regional Police.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with any information about the trafficking of illicit drugs is urged to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
About PGNG
The OPP-led Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG) is dedicated to disrupting criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multijurisdictional investigations into the trafficking of illicit drugs and illegal firearms.
PGNGs investigative team is comprised of members from 21 police services, including the; Barrie Police Service, Brantford Police Service, Brockville Police Service; Greater Sudbury Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, Kingston Police Service, London Police Service, Niagara Regional Police Service, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, North Bay Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Ottawa Police Service, Peel Regional Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau, Sûreté du Québec, Thunder Bay Police Service, Toronto Police Service, Waterloo Regional Police Service, Windsor Police Service, and York Regional Police.
