A slew of charges has been laid against six people, including a prison inmate, who police believe were trafficking drugs and illegal cigarettes from British Columbia to Manitoba.
Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) investigators said in a release issued Wednesday that the Guns and Gangs Unit started looking into the case in December 2024.
Police allege there was evidence drugs were being shipped from B.C. to Winnipeg, and several places and people were involved. In early January 2025, WPS said a package sent from a business in Surrey, B.C., was intercepted. Ten kilograms of meth and two kilograms of cocaine were found inside.
In the following months, Winnipeg police obtained warrants to search a home on north Main Street, three businesses, a downtown apartment, and Stony Mountain Institution.
It led to close to $200,000 in meth and cocaine being seized, as well as $45,000 in cash, $36,000 in illicit cigarettes, and two fake stun guns.
Three vehicles were also taken, two of which had altered Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs). Police also apprehended a closed utility trailer that also had an altered VIN.
Six people now face charges for their involvement in the suspected drug trafficking operation. One is from Surrey, four are from Winnipeg, and one police described as being from Stony Mountain Institution. Four have been detained, one was released on an undertaking, and the inmate was returned to the prison’s custody.
