Winnipeg police arrest seven, seize more than $5 million in methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl

More than 40 kilograms of drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, were seized by Winnipeg police following an investigation that started earlier this summer.

The investigation, called Project Watch Tower, was started after police received complaints from residents in downtown and Point Douglas about alleged drug trafficking in the area.

“Street-level enforcement and interaction by the guns and gangs unit was increased, and the drug enforcement unit was asked to identify and investigate individuals who may be responsible for the increased criminality in both areas,” said Insp. Elton Hall.

Hall said suspects were identified in June, with groups meeting on Waterfront Drive on multiple occasions. Police also said officers saw a man and woman carrying multiple bags, including a hockey bag, into a home on Sherburn Street.

In July, police executed a search warrant at the address, seizing 34.5 kilograms of drugs. Of the drugs seized, 28 kilograms were methamphetamine.

Police conducted four search warrants at homes on Cumberland Avenue, Qu’Appelle Avenue, and two homes on Waterfront Drive, seizing an addition eight kilograms of drugs, including six kilograms of methamphetamine.

Officers also seized 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, three ounces of fentanyl and four kilograms of edibles containing unknown drugs during the searches.

The total estimated street value of the drugs seized was approximately $5.4 million.

Seven people were arrested and charged with multiple drug trafficking offences, including a 57-year-old man of Stornoway, Quebec who police allege is involved with organized crime in that province. The six from Winnipeg charged included two women aged 33 and 46, and four men ranging in age from 33 to 47 years old. All have been detained in custody and none of the charges against them have been tested in court.

Hall said police are dealing with a significant increase in drug seizures like this in recent months.

“This is every two months, we’re seizing 30, 40, 50, 60 kilos,” he said. “In the last two years, between the drug enforcement unit and the guns and gangs unit, we’ve seized between 200 and 300 kilos in the last two years.

“In my 23 years of policing, I’m alarmed by it. It’s a lot of drugs to be coming off the street. When you do a long-term project, you get these type of results, but now, this is what the guns and gangs unit and the drug enforcement unit are seizing off the streets. We have a clear drug problem in this country, not just in this city.”