Through a 16-month investigation, police forces across Ontario have charged 25 people with a combined 197 charges for drug trafficking and related crimes.
Project SATURATE started in January 2024 as a joint investigation between Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Greater Sudbury Police Service and several police departments in the Greater Toronto Area.
Search warrants were executed in Sudbury, Mississauga, Hamilton, Richmond Hill, Pickering and Toronto on two separate dates this spring — May 8 and May 29.
Those warrants resulted in the seizure of four firearms, 12 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 7.3 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 2,448 oxycodone tablets, 1,010 suspected methamphetamine tablets and $259,000 in Canadian currency.
The seized drugs have an estimated street value of $1.9 million.
“This quantity of drugs seized in a community like Sudbury is significant,” Andy Brandford, OPP acting detective superintendent, said in a news release.
“We also seized four firearms, which supports [the] notion that the presence of street gangs brings the potential for gun violence.”
Police also seized 21 cellphones, two laptops, one vehicle and a boat as proceeds of crime.
In a news release, police said they’ve arrested 22 people as part of this operation and have issued arrest warrants for the three remaining suspects.
Six of those charged are from Sudbury. The others are either from southern Ontario or have no fixed address.
Greater Sudbury Police Service Chief Sara Cunningham said in a statement that “illicit drugs pose a serious threat to the safety, security, and overall wellness of our community.”
Cunningham said Sudbury police remain committed to disrupting criminal networks through partnerships with other police services.
