A Bonfield man is facing multiple charges in connection to one of the biggest drug seizures in northeastern Ontario.
The OPP held a media conference at the Northeast Region (NER) Headquarters in North Bay where the massive seizure was displayed, which includes $3,200,000 worth of illicit drugs.
"This is obviously a massive blow," said NER OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Pilon.
"You are looking at the quantity and these are unprecedented numbers in the northeast region. We have seen these types of seizures made by the OPP. It is very concerning that in these smaller communities in northeastern Ontario, we are seeing these types of quantities and it is just indicative of how we are at a crisis level when it comes to opioids and drugs along with the distribution and trafficking of those products."
Pilon says the investigation took a number of days but the actual seizure was done in a single day. He credits the teamwork from the OPP North East Region Community Street Crime Unit, OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, North East Emergency Response Team, North Bay Detachment and the North Bay Police Service, as they executed search warrants at residences in Bonfield and Callander.
Overall, officers seized large quantities of suspected cocaine, approximately 23 kg, crystal methamphetamine, approximately 8 kg, fentanyl, approximately 150 g, and a significant quantity of amphetamine and oxycontin. Also seized were cellular phones, electronic devices, drug paraphernalia, a silencer, and over $20,000 in cash.
Pilon says the suspect was known to police and the North Bay Police noted he was charged with some similar offences this summer.
As a result of the investigation, a 36-year-old Bonfield man was arrested and charged with15 offences:
- Two counts of possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking - cocaine
- Four counts of possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking - methamphetamine
- Three counts of possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking-Opioid
- Unauthorized Possession of a weapon
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000
- Four counts of failure to comply with a release order
Pilon is proud of the work that went into the investigation but he admits this is a problem his police colleagues across Ontario are dealing with.
"We are all seeing the same problem," said Pilon candidly.
"We are seeing deaths. We are seeing overdoses that almost result in deaths or people's lives are being saved by first responders, police officers, EMS, and firefighters. We have saved countless lives by administering naloxone and intervening in some of these critical incidents but unfortunately, we are still seeing a significant amount of deaths across our communities and it is definitely attributed to the trafficking."
Scott McFarlane, an inspector with the North Bay Police Service believes this bust saved many lives.
"Our street crime unit works very closely with the OPP's community street crime unit, we work daily with them. We have a great partnership and the results here show that," said Inspector McFarlane.
"The size of a grain of salt is enough to kill somebody and I believe there were well over 150 grams of Fentanyl seized. On the street, Fentanyl is sold by the point and there are 10 points in a gram and even a portion of a point is enough to kill somebody, so potentially thousands of lives."
The suspect was remanded in custody and was scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on October 26 in North Bay.
