Winnipeg police seize about $2.2M worth of illegal drugs

Two men are charged in connection with an illegal drug distribution operation after Winnipeg police seized more than $2.2 million worth of methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy.

The investigation began earlier this year and the arrests were made April 16, the day police raided an apartment suite on Pembina Highway near the University of Manitoba and another in the South Pointe neighbourhood.

"The results of this investigation are significant," Insp. Max Waddell of the police service's organized crime division said at a Wednesday news conference. "It really had a large potential to spread a significant impact amongst us all."

The two men, who are connected with the apartment suites, were arrested during a traffic stop on St. Mary's Road.

James Daniel Perlett, 43, and Biniam Mengistu Fitur, 40, are both charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime, and possession of body armour without a permit.

Police seized the following from the Pembina apartment:

• Nine kilograms of methamphetamine with a street value of $1.8 million, they estimate.
• Four kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $400,000.
• 326 grams of ecstasy with an estimated street value of $3,500.
• ½ kilogram of benzocaine, a cutting agent, with an estimated street value of $2,500.
• $5,895 in Canadian currency.
• A ballistic vest.
• A money counter.

Meth is typically sold as one-tenth of a gram, which means the amount seized could have been used by 90,000 people, Waddell said.

"We know how highly addictive methamphetamine is, and that would have put a massive health strain on all of our systems," he said, adding he does not expect any further arrests at this time.

Perlett, who is originally from northern Ontario, was found guilty of the 1996 slayings of his mother and father in Fort Frances. They were shot dead while in bed at the family home.

Perlett was also found at the scene of the double homicide with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He claimed the family was attacked by a masked intruder.

He was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison — with no eligibility for parole for 18 years — in January 1999. 

He attempted to appeal his case to the Supreme Court of Canada, which refused to hear it. 

Fitur is also known to police, after being shot in Winnipeg in 2016. Shots were fired at a car he was in around 3 a.m. on Nov. 27, near the Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club at Donald Street and Stradbrook Avenue.

Theodoros Belayneh, 32, a passenger in the car driven by Fitur, was rushed to hospital in critical condition and died.

Fitur, who wasn't badly injured, was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in 2012, convicted for attempted kidnapping and assault. He had allegedly been working with a criminal organization in British Columbia to bring multiple kilograms of cocaine to Winnipeg every week, according to court documents.

In 2008, he allegedly planned to steal $100,000 in cash and cocaine from one of his customers, who was dealing drugs on the street. Court heard Fitur wanted the victim to have to purchase more product from him, but the victim escaped.

Police look for drug source

Police are still trying to track down the exact source of the drugs they found during last month's bust, but Waddell said the major supplier for meth is Mexican drug cartels, while cocaine typically comes from Colombia.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, drug cartels are facing difficulty getting the chemicals needed in the manufacturing processes for meth and cocaine, Waddell said. That has led to less supply, pushing the prices higher.

The cost of meth has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling from $10,000 per kilo to $20,000, he said, while cocaine's price has increased from about $60,000 per kilo to $72,000.

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