Police arrest 22 people, lay 185 charges in Ottawa Valley drug bust
Ontario Provincial Police say 22 people have been arrested and 185 charges have been laid following a major drug bust in the Upper Ottawa Valley.
The months-long investigation culminated with several places being searched in Pembroke, Arnprior and Renfrew on Dec. 2.
Officers seized quantities of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, crack cocaine, crystal meth and psilocybin mushrooms. Police also seized thousands of dollars in cash, Tasers, pepper spray, rifles, ammunition, replica pistols, cell phones, and drug trafficking paraphernalia such as scales and debt lists.
Police expect there will be more arrests.
"The OPP recognize the trafficking of illegal drugs has a serious impact on community safety, leading to increases in a wide spectrum of violent acts and property crimes," said OPP East Region Chief Superintendent Karl Thomas in a press release. "Any time that we disrupt a criminal operation, we send a very clear message to criminals that police—regardless of jurisdiction—will continue to identify and aggressively pursue those individuals who continue to threaten the safety of our communities."
The accused are identified as follows:
- Michelle Denise Arnold, 54, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Cody Brandon Burke, 29, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Rachelle Marie Desormeaux, 78, of Renfrew, Ont.
- Malik Khalid Gebara, 19, of Orléans, Ont.
- Thomas John Gilks, 21, of Arnprior, Ont.
- Peter William Winston Goyette, 39, of Gatineau, Que.
- Michael Gordon Greenfield, 38, of L'Isle Aux Allumettes, Que.
- Jean Gilles Lafontaine, 55, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Tammy Sue Laundrie, 57, of Renfrew, Ont.
- Thomas Laundrie, 54, of Renfrew, Ont.
- Patrick Martin Lawrence, 35, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Tammy Lynn Leclaire, 51, of Renfrew, Ont.
- Shawn James McAdam, 48, of Renfrew, Ont.
- Kyle Ambrose Peplinskie, 35, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Sarah Proksch, 25, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Jason Joseph Ranger, 47, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Matthew Ranger, 24, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Kachina Tyra Sackaney, 28, of Golden Lake, Ont.
- Heidi Alicia Scanes, 37, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Logan Anthony Stevens, 25, of Pembroke, Ont.
- Roseanne Marie Sylvester, 38, of Pembroke, Ont.
- A 17-year-old from Ajax, Ont., who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
All of the accused are facing a variety of charges. In total, 185 charges were laid between the 22 suspects.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.