OPP-Led Guns and Gangs Team Seizes 46 Kilograms of Suspected Cocaine in GTA Investigation
GREATER TORONTO AREA — Ontario Provincial Police say an OPP-led guns and gangs investigation has resulted in the seizure of suspected cocaine and prescription opioids with an estimated street value of $4.7 million.
The Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team, working with Halton Regional Police and other police services, says four people are facing drug trafficking-related charges after search warrants were executed in several Greater Toronto Area communities.
Search warrants executed in Acton, Georgetown, Erin and Oshawa
Police say the investigation began in March after information was received from the Sûreté du Québec about suspected drug trafficking between Ontario and Quebec.
Investigators say they identified a drug trafficking network operating in the Greater Toronto Area, including individuals in Halton Region.
On Thursday, June 4, police executed five search warrants at residences in Acton, Georgetown, Erin and Oshawa.
The operation involved members of the OPP Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team, OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, Wellington County OPP, 407 OPP, Halton Regional Police Drugs and Organized Crime Unit and the Durham Regional Police Service Gun and Gang Unit.
Police list drugs and cash seized
Police say officers seized approximately:
46 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 400 bottles of liquid codeine, each 100 millilitres; 1,400 oxycodone 80-milligram tablets; 2,500 oxycodone five-milligram tablets; six 500-millilitre bottles of liquid hydrocodone; cellphones; and a quantity of Canadian currency.
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is $4.7 million, according to police.
Four people charged
Stephen Hunter, 34, of Acton, has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, contrary to section 354(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada; trafficking cocaine, contrary to section 5(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; and possession of oxycodone for the purpose of trafficking, contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Hunter was released from custody after a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on Friday, July 10.
Daniel Blight, 32, of Georgetown, has been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of codeine for the purpose of trafficking, both contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Blight was released from custody after a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in Milton court on Friday, July 10.
Austin Huxter, 32, of Oshawa, and Andrea Huxter, 32, of Oshawa, are each charged with possession of oxycodone for the purpose of trafficking and possession of codeine for the purpose of trafficking, both contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
They were released from custody and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Milton on Friday, July 17.
Legal context on the charges
Section 5(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act prohibits trafficking in a controlled substance listed in schedules I to V, or in a substance represented as being one of those substances. Section 5(2) prohibits possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. For Schedule I or II substances, the maximum penalty for trafficking or possession for the purpose of trafficking is life imprisonment. Cocaine and codeine are listed in Schedule I of the act.
Oxycodone is also treated as a controlled opioid under the federal drug-control framework. Sentencing in drug trafficking cases depends on the substance, quantity, level of organization, role of the accused, criminal record, public-safety risk and whether the Crown proceeds by indictment where applicable. In large-scale Schedule I trafficking cases, courts have the authority to impose penitentiary sentences, up to the statutory maximum of life imprisonment.
Section 354(1) of the Criminal Code makes it an offence to possess property or proceeds knowing that all or part of it was obtained by or derived from an indictable offence. For possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, section 355 provides for a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if prosecuted by indictment, or a sentence available on summary conviction if the Crown proceeds summarily.
National and regional implications
Police say the investigation involved suspected trafficking between Ontario and Quebec, highlighting the cross-border and interprovincial nature of organized drug distribution.
For communities in Northern Ontario, including Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, large GTA-based drug seizures matter because major urban distribution networks can supply smaller regional markets.
Police investigations into firearms, gangs and drug trafficking often begin in southern Ontario but can have downstream effects in northern communities through transportation corridors, courier routes and local street-level trafficking.
The OPP says the Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team is focused on disrupting criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multi-jurisdictional investigations and reducing illegal firearms in Ontario. The team includes members from 20 police services in Ontario and Quebec, as well as the RCMP.
Presumption of innocence
None of the charges has been proven in court. All accused individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Anyone with information about illegal firearms or the possession, manufacturing or trafficking of illicit drugs is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through Ontario Crime Stoppers.
