Major drug bust across Greater Toronto Area has Kingston connection: police

A major drug bust, stretching from Toronto to Kingston, has been carried out with the involvement of several forces, police say — including the RCMP.

The RCMP, along with the Durham Regional Police Guns and Gangs Unit, executed multiple search warrants early Wednesday morning, seizing over $2.1 million in cash and drugs.

One of the houses raided, police say, was on Tremont Drive near Holden Street in Kingston’s west end.

One of the people charged was 38-year-old Ashish Roy from Kingston. He is facing several charges, including possession of cocaine and meth for the purpose of trafficking and trafficking cocaine, crystal meth and fentanyl.

The joint investigation also included the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police Service, the Kingston Police Service and the Halton Regional Police Service — an operation called Project Vickery.

“Investigators executed 15 search warrants in Durham Region, Toronto, Peel and also in Kingston, which resulted in 19 arrests,” said Cst. George Tudos with the Durham Regional Police Service.

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Project Vickery began in the fall of 2018, when both the RCMP and Durham Regional Police began to focus on drug trafficking in the GTA.

Investigators seized over $600,000 in cash, firearms and five vehicles.

$1.5 million in drugs was also seized in the early morning raids, including fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.

“In this project, I know fentanyl was seized and that is a very dangerous drug. And it can be very harmful and even lethal”, Tudos said, “Any illegal substances that are on the streets, we are targeting.”

The 19 arrested suspects face a total of 148 charges and all appeared in a Toronto court room Thursday.

Their names will be released later this week.