Toronto police say they have seized four kilograms of hard drugs, including a kilogram of fentanyl, and a number of firearms in a bust that they hope puts a significant dent in the city’s narcotics trade.
One man is under arrest and two others are being sought, said Inspector Steve Watts of the drug squad.
Fentanyl and other opioids have torn a destructive path through Canadian communities, leading to a wave of fatal overdoses. According to federal figures from December, there were 2,066 deaths that appeared opioid-related in the first half of 2018. Ninety-four per cent of them were accidental.
The takedown announced on Monday was the result of a joint investigation with Ottawa police that has been under way since October.
“The reality is we’re dealing with the weights of product, we’re dealing with the number of firearms, in a real-time basis that people watch [on] Netflix at home,” Insp. Watts told reporters. “To lose this much product and to lose this many firearms is very significant.”
Many details of the police operation were not revealed – including the organized crime group the suspects were alleged to be connected with, any prior criminal behaviour and the role of the Ottawa police.
Among the items seized were a rifle, six handguns, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, about $60,000 in cash and a variety of drugs. The narcotics included approximately 2.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, one kilogram of fentanyl and 500 grams of heroin. Also seized was about two kilograms of marijuana.
Police estimated the street value of the seized drugs at about $700,000. However, Insp. Watts said his biggest concern was the firearms that were seized. He said that the suspects were transporting them around the city in modified compartments in their vehicles, giving them easy access to weaponry if confronted.
“He thinks he’s being stopped cause he has a nine-mil and a key of fentanyl in his vehicle,” the officer said, stressing that he was painting a hypothetical scenario, and not describing these suspects’ actions.
“So the process, if you put yourself in that person’s position, is like, this is not a seat-belt infraction, this is a high-risk stop and I’m risking now significant penitentiary time, so I’m going to do what I have to do.”
The source of the firearms has not been determined but police did confirm that the suspects were not licensed to own weapons.
According to police, Nicholas Ortega, 42, an Ottawa resident, was arrested on Friday and charged with a number of drug and firearms charges. He is to appear at the courthouse in Toronto’s old city hall on Wednesday.
Warrants for the arrest of Vincent Yun-Hao Huang, 34, and Daniel Kam-Wah Siu, 33, have been issued. Police say both face numerous firearm and drug charges.
News of the bust comes only days after Toronto police announced that 30 10-milligram vials of fentanyl had been lost or stolen from a downtown clinic, warning in a release that these could be fatal if ingested.
Oliver Moore