A youth from Paris, along with eight people from Hamilton, were arrested and charged as part of a large firearms and drug initiative called Project Foxxx.
As part of the eleven-month long investigation, 32 people involved with the Toronto street gang, the Jamestown Crips, were arrested and are facing a total of 158 charges.
The investigation began in September last year and involved a task force made up of multiple police forces including Toronto, York Regional, Peel Regional, Hamilton, and Ontario Provincial police services.
Police alleged that numerous gang affiliates have been involved with illegal possession of firearms. They also alleged that members trafficked illicit drugs across Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The task force said, “it is further alleged that their trafficking operations included concealing drugs and attempting to distribute through Canada Post.”
Inspector Paul Krawczyk of the Integrated Guns and Gangs Task Force said that out of the many different methods to distribute drugs, the gang used the not-so-obvious method of the easily available Canada Post.
“They’re concealing it, making it look like a regular package and obviously lots of packages are going through Canada Post daily, hourly,” said Krawczyk.
Krawczyk said their investigation was able to reveal this method of delivery and worked with Canada post to intercept the packages before they got delivered to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The inspector said that while their investigation did not find guns being sent through the mail, he said “it would not surprise me if that’s being used.”
The investigation has led to the seizure of nine firearms, 4.7 kilos of cocaine, which is reported to have a street value of $568,000, six kilos of methamphetamine, valued at approximately $480,000, and over $320,000 in cash.
The police said everyone that was arrested have appeared in court and further proceedings are underway.
Of the 32 people arrested, the following are from Hamilton:
- 40-year-old Christopher Newton
- 29-year-old Greg Amponsah
- 33-year-old Ho-Wayne Walker
- 37-year-old Jamie-Lee Baxter
- 24-year-old Lara Rodrigues
- 27-year-old Olivia Browne
- 38-year-old Roxanne Laforme
- 30-year-old Shane Campbell
A 16-year-old from Paris, Ont. has also been arrested and charged.
Police said that each person arrested have been charged with offences connected to possessing a firearm, possessing a controlled substance, or to conspire to move illegal items.
