VLT fracas at Winnipeg lounge leads to raft of drug, weapons charges, police say

A fight over a VLT machine at a Winnipeg lounge Tuesday night led to a laundry list of well over a dozen charges for three men, police say.

Officers were called to the Pembina Highway scene just after 8 p.m., police said, where an altercation over the lottery terminal led to two men threatening to shoot up the lounge.

According to police, three suspects returned a short time later with a gun. No one was injured, and the suspects took off in a vehicle. Officers tracked them down to nearby Weatherdon Avenue and safely took them into custody.

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A search of the vehicle turned up a pair of 3D-printed handguns and ammunition, as well as two kilograms of cocaine, an ounce of fentanyl, and 100 oxycontin tablets — with an estimated combined street value of $67,000 — and $10,000 in cash.

The suspects, all between the ages of 18 and 21, are each facing a total of 10 weapons-related charges, three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, uttering threats, and possessing the proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

They remain in custody.

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