Two men have been charged and police have seized a massive amount of drugs, weapons, and related paraphernalia through a months-long drug trafficking investigation led by Collingwood and The Blue Mountains OPP this week.
The detachment's community street crime unit (CSCU) was assisted by that of the Southern Georgian Bay, Peterborough, Wellington County, Huron/Perth, Grey/Bruce, Nottawasaga, and Northumberland detachments as well as the Chatham-Kent Police Service, OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT), Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), and Canine Unit.
Police say the investigation began in June when the Collingwood CSCU executed a search warrant at a local residence, resulting in several charges and the identfication of two others involved in drug trafficking.
Investigators eventually executed nine additional search warrants on residences and four search warrants on vehicles across the province.
That included a residence in Maple and two associated vehicles, a residence in Fergus, and a residence in Chatham, all on Nov. 1. The next day, officers executed search warrants at a residence in Chatsworth, a residence in Bayfield, two residences in Peterborough, and two residences in Midland.
According to police, through the investigation they seized a wide array of weapons, drugs, luxury items, cash, and other trafficking-related paraphernalia.
The weapons confiscated included two handguns, five magazines, two crossbows, a conducted energy weapon, two pellet guns, and other ammunition and firearm components.
As for drugs, police took 3,116.2 grams of cocaine, 645 grams of MDMA, 268 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 116 oxycodone pills, 31.7 grams of crack cocaine, and 6 lorazepam pills.
In terms of other goods, officers seized twelve one-ounce gold bars, a wristwatch, a vehicle, two gold coins, and three cryptocurrency cold storage wallets, collectively worth least $121,400. In addition, $84,617 in Canadian currency was found, as were 29 cellular phones, two laptops, a money counter, and other evidence.
A 41-year-old man from Maple was charged with cocaine and methamphetamine possession and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Meanwhile, a 39-year-old man from Fergus was given those charges plus seven counts related two firearm possession
Both were held for bail hearings and are scheduled to appear in court at a future date.
