Millions of dollars in drugs taken in by WRPS in historic drug seizure

A big win for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), which announced one of the largest drug seizures in the services’ history Tuesday morning.

What started as a break-and-enter investigation in the Fergus Avenue and Weber Street East area of Kitchener last year, ended as a massive, 13-month-long drug trafficking investigation, with links to organized crime.

Police say the investigation dates back to March 2023, when homes near Fergus Avenue and Weber Street East, and Victoria Street South and Park Street, were searched.

Cash, guns and drugs including suspected cocaine, MDMA, and crystal methamphetamine were found.

On April 26 of this year, two additional homes in Kitchener were searched by police — one at Sims Estate Drive and Fairway Road North, the other at Homer Watson Boulevard and Old Carriage Drive. Even more drugs and cash were seized.

Tuesday morning, police revealed the total amount of drugs seized by police totalled around $9 million, with $800,000 in cash collected, marking a historic drug seizure.

Two people were also arrested.

WRPS Inspector of Criminal Intelligence Greg Hibbard says the dangerous combination of drugs, firearms and organized crime in this investigation, is following a dangerous trend in the province.

“In 2023, 695 firearms and prohibited weapons and over $2.72 million worth of drugs were seized. The Waterloo Regional Police Service continues to work in close coordination with other police services across Ontario to focus and collaborate on strategies related to drug trafficking, weapons, and organized crime, to help protect our community.”

Over the course of the near-year-long investigation, police brought in:

• More than 86 kilograms of suspected cocaine
• Over 3 kilograms of suspected crystal methamphetamine
• Approximately 700 grams of MDMA
• Approximately $815,000 in Canadian currency
• Seven handguns

Hibbard notes they are always asking to public to come forward with tip about any suspicious or criminal activity.

“Over the course of the investigation, it’s hard to say and to find how long it would have taken to accumulate that (amount of drugs). This is an ongoing organized criminal network that the distribution of this size and level when you’re dealing with kilo level amounts, is significant and would continue throughout the community without us interrupting in this fashion.”

A 31-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, both from Kitchener with no criminal records have been arrested and are facing numerous charges from the investigation.

“We had a 13-month drug trafficking investigation that resulted out of a residential break and enter report. Once they got there, they identified several kilograms of cocaine, which resulted in our drug and firearm unit getting involved in an organized crime complex drug investigation for drug trafficking that progressed further resulting in additional search warrants being executed by our criminal intelligence unit and the seizures we have before you,” said Hibbard.

Hibbard mentioned if WRPS had not intervened the criminals would still be operating and selling drugs around the region.

More arrests from the investigation are expected in the coming weeks.