Following a three-month investigation, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they have seized over 100 kilograms of suspected cocaine as well as other drugs with an estimated street value of $10.1 million. A full patch member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club and three others have been arrested.
The inter-provincial investigation led by the OPP’s Biker Enforcement Unit began in January and extended over the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Niagara region, and into Nova Scotia. The OPP teamed up with Niagara, York, and Halton police to carry out the investigation.
Outlaws Motorcycle Club members in St. Catharines were suspected of trafficking large quantities of cocaine throughout the GTA and to Eastern Canada.
The RCMP said biker gangs are “linked to 50% of all organized crime groups in Canada and have been identified as a top criminal threat.”
“Outlaw motorcycle gangs have extensive criminal networks and are known for drug trafficking, violence and murder, money laundering and extortion, among other illegal activities,” Inspector Stefan Thoms of the Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP said in news release.
On April 4, over 100 kilograms of suspected cocaine and more than $215,000 in cash was seized following a search warrant executed by the OPP and York Regional Police at a Richmond Hill residence. Four individuals were arrested and charged with a total of eight offences following the investigation.
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The same day, the Niagara Regional Police Service carried out search warrants at two residences in St. Catharines. Intelligence and Tactical Response Units seized approximately 25 oxycodone/acetaminophen tablets, five ounces of suspected cocaine, a money counter, and cash. The drugs seized in these investigations are estimated to be valued at over $10 million.
On April 5, the RCMP in Nova Scotia received information from OPP about a possible suspect in the area who was part of an ongoing investigation into members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
In a vehicle stop conducted the same day, RCMP officers seized approximately five kilograms of suspected cocaine, a rifle, ammunition, and cash. Scott Rempel, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and firearm offences.
Detective Insp. Scott Wade of the Biker Enforcement Unit expressed gratitude for the RCMP’s support on the substantial investigation.
“It takes national collaboration across jurisdictions to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect our respective communities,” he said in a news release.
Meanwhile, police in Metro Vancouver and Alberta recently made several substantial drug busts.
From March 26–29, numerous search warrants were executed across Metro Vancouver by the RCMP. Three separate drug labs were discovered in the cities of Pitt Meadows, Mission, and Aldergrove, two of which were fentanyl production labs.
Two suspects were arrested at one of the locations, one of whom claimed to be “a chemist with an advance degree in organic chemistry,” the RCMP said in a statement on April 10.
In another drug trafficking investigation, Alberta police seized 20 kilograms of methamphetamine following a traffic stop on April 9. Police received information that a driver of a vehicle had picked up drugs in Winnipeg and was taking them back to Edmonton.
After the traffic stop, police conducted a search of two Edmonton homes and seized 20,500 grams of methamphetamine, 3,100 grams of cocaine, and 23 grams of fentanyl.
