More than $13M in drugs seized after police bust crime ring with Mississauga links

Mississauga | Ontario | Crime | Latest News |

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Published November 10, 2021 at 3:26 pm

Police have seized 31.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and 68 oxycodone pills in a drug bust dubbed Project Helston. Photo courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police

Police have arrested 13 people and laid more than 140 charges after drug busts in Mississauga, Cornwall and Ottawa.

Dubbed Project Helston, police began investigating after noticing an influx of drugs in Eastern Ontario back in March 2020.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Cornwall say they discovered an organized crime ring had been producing large quantities of fentanyl and were trafficking the drug along with cocaine.

After over a year and a half, police executed four search warrants in Mississauga, Cornwall and Ottawa last week and seized $13.3 million in drugs, including 31.5 kilograms of fentanyl, 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and 68 oxycodone pills.

OPP Deputy Commissioner Chuck Cox said the amount of drugs seized by officers was “absolutely shocking.”

“The opioid crisis in our country is becoming more and more severe and we as law enforcement send a message to anyone participating in trafficking or producing these deadly drugs – you are not welcome in our communities,” Cox said in a release.

Police also recovered four vehicles with a combined value of approximately $107,000, and a handgun with 17 rounds of ammunition.

Thirteen people, including two from Mississauga, are facing 141 charges including trafficking cocaine and fentanyl, production of fentanyl, possession of property obtained by crime, assault with a weapon, firearms charges and breach of probation.

Deyshon Ricardo Palmer of Mississauga has been charged with

  • Seven counts of Trafficking in a Schedule I Substance.
  • Five counts of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000.
  • Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence.
  • Assault with a Weapon.
  • Dangerous Driving.

Nicholas Lionel Nanku, also of Mississauga, has been charged with:

  • Three counts of Trafficking in a Schedule I Substance.
  • Two counts Possession for the Purpose.
  • Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence.

Both individuals have been remanded into custody and were scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 4.

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