KITCHENER -- Eight people in southwestern Ontario were charged Wednesday as part of a joint investigation between Ontario Provincial Police and Woodstock police, where officials seized more than $140,000 in illegal drugs and weapons.
"Numerous search warrants were executed earlier this morning by Oxford OPP community street crimes unit and neighbouring detachments in Tillsonburg, Elgin County and the city of Woodstock," Inspector Anthony Hymers, Detachment Commander with the Oxford OPP, said in a video posted to Twitter.
Items seized in the investigation include suspected fentanyl, cocaine, meth, cannabis, prohibited weapons and one vehicle.
In total, 10 people were arrested as part of the investigation, police said.
Eight of the 10 people arrested are facing charges that include possession of cocaine and fentanyl, possession for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of prohibited weapons, Hymers said.
In an early morning tweet about 5:50 a.m., OPP West Region told residents to expect police presence at Baldwin Street and Francis Street in Tillsonburg, Fourth Street in Straffordville, College Line in Elgin County, James Street in Woodstock, and that there was no threat to public safety.
A 42-year-old woman, a 33-year-old man, a 36-year-old woman, a 28-year-old man, a 31-year-old woman, a 37-year-old man, a 31-year-old man, and a 37-year-old man are all facing charges.
The joint investigation involved a slew of police teams, including:
- OPP West Region Emergency Response Team
- Tactics and Rescue Unit
- London organized Crime Enforcement Bureau
- K-9 Unit
- Urban Search and Rescue Team
- Aviation Services
- West Region Crime
- Oxford OPP uniformed members
- Woodstock police uniformed members
"We believe as a result of the collaborative effort between the Woodstock police and neighbouring OPP detachments the quantity of narcotics recovered will no doubt lead to lives saved," said Inspector Mike Butler, Detachment Commander with Elgin County OPP, said in the video.
