The St. Thomas Police Service (STPS) reports that six individuals have been charged with a combined total of 64 criminal offences after a lengthy investigation into suspected fentanyl trafficking and other illegal drugs.
Authorities state that Project Apex started in March, leading to the arrests of the six suspects between March and August.
During their work, officers executed search warrants at various sites in St. Thomas, confiscating fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, prescription medications, cash, and weapons.
Police estimate the total street value of the seized drugs to be $32,185.
The confiscated substances included:
3 grams of fentanyl – estimated street value of $19,4304 grams of cocaine – estimated street value of $5,4406 grams of methamphetamine – estimated street value of $2,2608 grams of crack cocaine – estimated street value of $1,680487 prescription tablets, including Oxycodone, Dilaudid, Morphine and other suspected controlled substances – estimated street value of $3,375
Additionally, police recovered $4,016.28 in Canadian currency along with a conducted energy weapon, a crossbow and ammunition.
“Fentanyl continues to have devastating consequences for individuals, families and our broader community,” said Chief Marc Roskamp.
“Addressing this threat requires a balanced approach focused on enforcement against those who traffic these substances while supporting collaborative health social service housing and recovery pathways for people affected by addiction.”
STPS Insp. Matt Lobsinger described the operation as a significant achievement for the police service.
“No single investigation is going to entirely eliminate the illicit supply of fentanyl but what an investigation like this can do is disrupt it from coming into our community and remove the dangerous drugs from circulation,” said Lobsinger.
“Any investigation of this magnitude.. is going to be successful. Every one of these arrests and all these investigations are significant.”
Lobsinger couldn’t provide details on the ages or identities of those charged but mentioned that most were residents in the St. Thomas area.
“We’re going to hold those people accountable [and] provide deterrents for anyone thinking about getting involved while gathering information for future investigations,” Lobsinger said.
The investigation remains ongoing according to police officials.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
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