ONTARIO-25 people, many from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), are facing a combined 197 charges under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act following a 16-month OPP investigation.
In January 2024, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG) and the Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) began Project SATURATE to investigate drug trafficking in the Greater Sudbury area and surrounding communities.
Police say the investigative team identified two street gangs based in the GTA involved in alleged trafficking of controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine, to northeastern Ontario.
“Illicit drugs pose a serious threat to the safety, security, and overall wellness of our community. This significant seizure is a clear example of the harm caused by organized crime and the importance of taking decisive action. We remain firmly committed to identifying, investigating, and disrupting criminal networks through intelligence-led policing and strong collaborative partnerships at the local, provincial, and national levels. Together, we are working to protect our community and hold those who profit from this harm accountable.” said GSPS Chief Sara Cunningham
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, six search warrants were executed in Sudbury, Mississauga and Hamilton by the PGNG investigative team along with members from:
- GSPS Integrated Crime Team
- GSPS Emergency Response Unit
- OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU)
- OPP Community Street Crime Units (CSCU) from West and Central regions
- OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- OPP Highway Enforcement Team (HET)
- OPP Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU)
- OPP Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit (PAFU)
- OPP Digital Forensics
- Peel Regional Police Tactics and Rescue Unit
- Hamilton Police Service Emergency Response Unit
On Thursday, May 29, 2025, an additional 14 search warrants were executed in Sudbury, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Pickering and Toronto by members from:
- OPP PGNG
- GSPS Integrated Crime Team
- GSPS Emergency Response Unit
- OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB)
- OPP CSCU from North East, Central and West regions
- OPP TRU
- OPP ERT
- OPP HET
- OPP PWEU
- OPP Provincial Auto Theft and Towing Team
- OPP PAFU
- Mississauga and 407 OPP detachments
- OPP HET
- OPP Digital Forensics
- Toronto Police Service Emergency Task Force
- York Regional Police Emergency Response Unit
Twenty-two individuals were arrested. Arrest warrants have been issued for the three additional individuals.
According to the OPP, as a result of Project SATURATE, the following items were seized with approximate quantities:
- Four firearms
- 12 kg suspected cocaine
- 7.3 kg suspected fentanyl
- 164 g suspected methamphetamine
- 2,448 oxycodone tablets
- 1,010 suspected methamphetamine tablets
- Other prescription medications
- 8 kg cannabis
- Two prohibited devices
- $259,000 in Canadian currency
- $1,210 in US currency
- 21 cell phones
- Two laptops
- Digital scales
- One vehicle as offence-related property
- One boat as proceeds of crime
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is more than $1.9 million.
“This quantity of drugs seized in a community like Sudbury is significant. We also seized four firearms, which supports notion that the presence of street gangs brings the potential for gun violence. The OPP will continue to work with our municipal partners like the Greater Sudbury Police Service to stem the flow of illegal drugs and firearms and dismantle the criminal networks and street gangs that have proliferated in these communities.” said OPP Acting Detective Superintendent Andy Bradford, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau
Anyone with any information about illegal firearms or the possession, manufacturing or trafficking of illicit drugs should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
