'Instruments of death and destruction': London Police help take down major guns and drugs network
A nearly ten-months long investigation by multiple Ontario police services has resulted in more than 400 charges laid on a group of 22 individuals accused of smuggling guns and drugs over the Canadian-U.S. border.
"These firearms are invariably instruments of death and destruction, devastating families and shattering communities," said London Deputy Police Chief Stu Betts at a news conference Wednesday. The London Police Service was part of a joint forces operation, dubbed Project Monarch, which dismantled a major trafficking network that stretched across Ontario and into the United States.
The effort began in London in October 2021 according to York Regional Police Insp. Ahmad Salhia. "As the investigation began to evolve we identified a suspect in the London area who we believe was involved in illicitly importing firearms into Canada from the United States."
According to police, it then spread to include allegations of a gun smuggling ring where firearms were brought across the Canada-U.S. border through Walpole Island First Nation land west of Wallaceburg, Ont.
Walpole Island First Nation Chief, Charles Sampson (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police, London police, York police, and Peel police said they built their case and then raided 22 homes and two businesses on July 28.
Twenty-seven hand guns, all believed to be from the U.S., and a quantity of drugs, including nine kilograms of cocaine, 1.9 kilograms of fentanyl and 20,000 Xanax pills were allegedly found, and 22 people were taken into custody.
Salhia said some of the fentanyl was pressed "to appear like candy – a car a butterfly or a number of other things."
"If someone was to consume such an item “the outcome would most certainly be fatal," he said.
Officers also seized 17 over-capacity magazines for the handguns and 300 rounds of ammunition.
The accused parties range in age from their 20s to 67-years-old, police said. Combined they are facing more than 400 criminal code offences.
An analysis found 20 of the guns seized were from the U.S., including places such as Florida, Ohio and Michigan.
"We believe that the balance of those firearms, the seven remaining, will also be traced to the U.S.," Salhia said.
Salhia said, at its narrowest point, the St. Clair River that separates Walpole Island First Nation from Port Huron, Michigan, is less than one kilometre wide.
He would not say what method was used to get the guns across the river, but added that an incident involving guns attached to a drone found in nearby Lambton County in late April is not related to this investigation.
Walpole Island First Nation Chief Charles Sampson said his police force is "terribly underfund," and simply doesn’t have the resources to effectively police such activity.
"We only have nine to eleven officers in the field and we have to protect an international border between Canada and the United States," he said. "We have one boat, but we need a whole marine division to do our job effectively."
He urged the provincial and federal governments to give his community more money to beef up its law enforcement capabilities.
"We desperately need adequate funding to get this job done."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.