POLICE SMASH MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR DRUG RING

Ottawa, Montreal Police Unite In Cocaine, Hashish Busts

Police broke up a multi-million-dollar drug ring dealing in cocaine
and hashish and laid 68 charges against 10 people as part of a joint
operation to staunch the flow of drugs from Montreal to Ottawa.

The suspects -- said to be members of an organized crime ring -- had
distributed 100 kilograms of cocaine throughout Ottawa in the past
year, police say.

On Thursday, police capped the year-long investigation, dubbed Project
Midnight, with raids on 10 Ottawa addresses.

The busts netted $2.1 million in cocaine and $330,000 in hashish, a
marijuana resin. Police also seized $430,000. In street amounts, a
gram of cocaine has a value of $80 to $100 dollars, giving the drugs
allegedly distributed last year a street value of about $10 million.

The crime ring was a wholesaler to smaller dealers, Ottawa police
Staff Sgt. Pete Gauthier said.

The investigation was able to alert Montreal police to previously
unknown traffickers, Cmdr. Denis Mainville said. The Ottawa police
request for Montreal police assistance led to five additional arrests
in Montreal and neighbouring Laval on Feb. 2. One is believed to be a
key player in the drug ring, Mainville said.

Police admitted they weren't sure how the raids would affect the drug
supply on Ottawa streets.

"We certainly haven't stopped the flow of drugs to our city, but we've
put a dent in it," Ottawa police Insp. Jill Skinner said. No one
present could put a figure on the quantity of cocaine sold in Ottawa.

Montreal was identified as a main source of drugs for Ottawa. Gauthier
said the raids nabbed the ring's top men in Ottawa, but that police
would continue to exchange information to identify Montrealers who may
be involved.

No one could say how the drugs had arrived in Montreal. Anti-gang and
organized crime units investigated, but officers at the press
conference could not link the drug ring to a specific group.

OPP Insp. Ian Grant called the police operation "well run and very
effective," which Skinner attributed to good teamwork. "The only way
for us to be effective in battling organized crime is to work
together," Skinner said.

Police raided locations in Vanier, downtown, Barr-haven, near the
airport and an area near Carling Avenue and Richmond Road.

[name redacted], 30, [name redacted], 32, [name redacted], 23,
[name redacted], 24, all of Ottawa, are charged with counts of
conspiracy to possess for the purpose of trafficking, conspiracy to
traffic, trafficking, possession for the purpose of trafficking,
participating in a criminal organization, committing an indictable
offence to benefit a criminal organization and possession of the
proceeds of crime over $5,000. [name redacted] and [name redacted] are also
charged with
instructing a person within a criminal organization.

[name redacted], 21, and [name redacted], 26, of Ottawa are charged
with one count each of conspiracy to possess for the purpose of
trafficking, conspiracy to traffic, possession for the purpose of
trafficking, and trafficking.

An arrest warrant was out for 29-year-old [name redacted] for the
same charges.