Oshawa man charged after $121K in fentanyl seized: Sarnia police

A man from Oshawa is facing multiple charges Wednesday after what Sarnia police describe as the “largest valued seizure of fentanyl” in the history of the Sarnia Police Service.

According to the Sarnia Police Service, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officers were on patrol in the area of Queen Street and Wellington Street when officers attempted to stop a vehicle for missing its licence plate.

Police say it appeared as if the vehicle was attempting to elude officers, and the vehicle eventually came to a stop in the area of George Street and Christina Street.

Shortly after, police conducted a traffic stop where the driver first attempted to give the name of an individual who was not licenced. The driver was then unable to produce a driver’s licence to confirm his identity.

Police say upon further investigation, it was alleged that the driver was attempting to mislead police and was arrested for public mischief and obstruct police.

As officers attempted to gain control of the suspect, he began to resist arrest. He was then tasered and handcuffed without further incident.

A search of the suspect’s vehicle yielded:

• 422.06 grams of street ready fentanyl
• 6.3 grams of pure/uncut fentanyl

The total street value of the seized fentanyl is approximately $121,265, according to police.

Speaking to CTV News London, Sarnia police say that drug busts such as this are rare for the area, with there only being two busts of this magnitude in the last year.

“It’s significant for our area. We don’t typically see the kilos that you would see in Peel or Hamilton or Toronto – but for our community it is quite significant,” says Sarnia Police Det. Sgt. Mike Howell.

For his alleged role in this incident, a 29-year-old man from Oshawa, Ont. is charged with the following offences:

• Public mischief
• Obstruct peace officer
• Resist peace officer
• Possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking
• Mischief
• Assault peace officer
• Two counts of failing to comply with a release order

Police say it is the largest valued seizure of fentanyl in the history of Sarnia police.

Howell adds that cases such as this however which involve fentanyl are becoming more common.

“It’s the primary drug that we see as part of our investigations,” he says.

The suspect remains in custody pending a bail hearing.

While this seizure was record-breaking for police, Dr. Delmar Donald, medical director of the Bluewater Clinic, says the drug supply in the area has drastically changed in recent years.

Whereas Oxycontin used to be the dominant drug, fentanyl has since taken over, concerning support workers due to its more potent and addictive nature.

“On top of the problem they know they have, they’re also afraid of dying because we hear every week of someone who’s died,” says Donald.

Even with this record seizure, Donald fears it likely goes to show just how much product is still on the street.

“Being able to stop the supply would work — but it just cannot be done,” he says.

— With files from CTV News London’s Carlyle Fiset