St. Thomas police are sharing the details of the largest drug project the force has ever organized.
Members of the media were invited to police headquarters Tuesday morning, where officers showcased some of the items seized during the six month investigation which began in March.
According to police, the investigation by the Street Crime Unit resulted in the largest crystal meth bust ever in St.Thomas and the largest fentanyl bust ever in the region.
The force invested $30,000 into the project, which targeted the main suppliers of crystal meth and fentanyl flowing into St. Thomas.
Officers seize various drugs with a total street value of over $475,000 including 56 grams of cocaine, over 4 grams of crystal meth, and over 64 grams of purple fentanyl. “We all carry naloxone now,” said Detective Constable Frank Boyes. “I’ve been in the drug unit for coming up on seven years, we’ve never encountered a substance this lethal.”
Police also seized close to $25,000 in cash and multiple weapons, including four machete style knives, and an air soft gun that resembles a real assault rifle.
Nineteen people have been arrested, and face a total of close to 100 hundred charges. The suspects range in age from 26 to 59 years old.
The suspects were arrested without incident, but Police Chief Chris Herridge said their officers put themselves in danger to get these drugs off the streets.
“One of the seized machetes, that was hidden in a person’s coat that was watching one of our drug deals occur in the city of London and thankfully, one of our officers noticed that person acting suspiciously, approached that person, and that machete turned up,” Herridge said. “Thank God that no one made a bad decision.”
A 41-year-old female from St. Thomas and a 40 year old female from London remain remain outstanding in connection to the investigation. Police say they’re confident they’ll track down those individuals soon.
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