OPP say they’ve dismantled a drug trafficking network connected to fatal overdoses in Barrie, Simcoe County and Muskoka.
It says Project GARFIELD has been a collaborative and cooperative effort led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Central Region Community Street Crime Units (CSCU), with assistance from Barrie Police Service (BPS) and Toronto Police Service (TPS).
The investigation began in December 2020 when police became aware of a network of individuals from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), with ties to GTA-based street gangs, responsible for trafficking fentanyl and crack cocaine in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka.
The network of individuals has operated as a criminal organization, with multiple individuals involved in facilitating drug transactions. Through analysis, this network has been linked to both fatal and non-fatal overdose occurrences between January 2020 and February 2021 in Simcoe County, including the City of Barrie, as well as the District of Muskoka.
On May 20, 2021, police executed a total of nine (9) warrants in Barrie (1), Toronto (4), Oshawa (2), Markham (1) and Ajax (1). Members from OPP CSCU, Emergency Response Team (ERT), Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU) as well as members of specialty units from BPS, TPS, Durham Regional Police Service, Peterborough Police Service, Peel Regional Police and York Regional Police assisted with the execution of the search warrants.
As a result of this investigation, police seized:
- 427 grams of Fentanyl
- 734 grams of Cocaine
- 53 grams of Crack Cocaine
- 30 Hydromorphone pills
- 15 Oxycodone pills
- Approximately $109,000 Canadian Currency
- Four handguns
- Five vehicles
- Drug trafficking paraphernalia
- Cellular phones
The amount of fentanyl seized in this investigation represents approximately 4,144 street level doses.
Eleven people are facing 148 CDSA and Criminal Code charges including trafficking cocaine and fentanyl, possession of property obtained by crime and participation in a criminal organization. A full list can be found on the Addendum of Charged Persons included as an attachment to this release.
Upon arrest, six (6) of the accused were remanded into custody, three (3) were released on an Undertaking and two (2) were released on a Recognizance. The accused are expected to appear at an Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on various dates in May and June, 2021.
#OPPStreetCrime-led Project Garfield into GTA-based criminal organization trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka. Fentanyl seized equivalent to over 4,000 street-level doses. For more information visit https://t.co/wyulZdqjSD. pic.twitter.com/n58yRKfud0
— Ontario Provincial Police (@OPP_News) May 27, 2021
A significant #OPP investigation in collaboration with our partners @BarriePolice and @TorontoPolice, resulting in 11 arrests and the seizure of fentanyl, cocaine and handguns, and the disruption of a large drug trafficking network #SafeCommunities https://t.co/2tgyHBSXrc
— Thomas Carrique (@OPPCommissioner) May 27, 2021