Winnipeg man accused of trafficking drugs in remote Manitoba First Nations
RCMP say man smuggled drugs to First Nations, then laundered money through casinos
A man accused of smuggling illicit drugs into four remote northern Manitoba First Nations has been arrested in Winnipeg, RCMP say.
Police started their investigation, dubbed Project DOOM, last October after receiving a tip from Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries about suspicious activity at their Winnipeg casinos, an RCMP news release said.
A 30-year-old man is accused of supplying T3s, Percocet, crack cocaine and fentanyl to people in Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill, Island Lake and St. Theresa Point in Manitoba, the news release said.
The cash proceeds of the sales were used to gamble at the casinos to try to hide the connection to criminal activity, RCMP said.
Police arrested the man in Winnipeg on Sept. 19 and searched his home, where they seized 498 grams of crack cocaine, 882 counterfeit OxyContin tablets (made with fentanyl), 241 Percocet tablets, 26 gabapentin tablets, 348 unknown tablets, cash and two vehicles.
He's charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking cocaine, money laundering and possession of the proceeds of crime.
The arrest comes months after some leaders of northern First Nations expressed concerns about illicit drugs entering their remote communities following suspected drug-related deaths.
In one example, the chief of St. Theresa Point said in March that the community had lost confidence in the RCMP's ability to stop the flow of drugs after the death of two teens.