Cocaine taken by bus from Toronto area to Thunder Bay, police say; 2 charged

Police say an investigation into suspected drug trafficking in Northern Ontario has led them to a large stash of cocaine they believe was transported by bus from the Greater Toronto Area to Thunder Bay.

In addition to the seized drugs — 1.1 kilograms of suspected crack cocaine and 500 grams of suspected cocaine valued at $282,000 — Ontario Provincial Police said their probe also resulted in the arrests of a man from Mississauga and another man from York Region.

A joint police task force that targets street gangs and related activity in Northern Ontario began looking into alleged drug trafficking in Thunder Bay in June, OPP said in a news release on Monday.

The OPP-led Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team, comprised of officers from 20 police forces including Thunder Bay Police and Nishnawbe Aski Police, conducted “an intelligence-led investigation” into the suspected illegal activity.

The probe “suggested that illicit drugs were transported into Thunder Bay by bus from the GTA,” police said.

A search warrant executed by the guns and gangs squad on June 23 at a motel in Thunder Bay and another search conducted on a vehicle by OPP officers near Dryden, some 350 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, turned up the cocaine in addition to more than $1,000 combined in Canadian and U.S. currency, according to police.

Deshawn Yarde, 29, of Mississauga, is charged with possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000 and possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine).

Dwight John, 29, of York Region, is charged with breach of probation and possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine).

The accused were remanded into custody following bail hearings and are scheduled to appear in Thunder Bay court later this week (John) and next week (Yarde).

The investigation remains ongoing.

The OPP-led Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team was created to “disrupt criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multijurisdictional drug trafficking investigations,” police said earlier.

The unit also seeks to reduce the number of illegal guns that wind up in the hands of gang members and others.

“Street gangs are migrating to communities across Ontario and this has resulted in an increase in the number of illegal firearms entering our communities,” OPP said earlier.