Police seize drugs destined for northern Ontario reserves

The Ontario Provincial Police and Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service have charged 55 people involved in a drug distribution ring that aimedto exploit First Nations communities in Northern Ontario.

Police say the network trafficked prescription medications and illicit drugs to communities along the James Bay Coast, where drugs can fetch up to four times the street value of urban centres.

• North Bay man, 45, charged after drug bust turns up $10k in pain pills
• Cocaine, Oxycodone, marijuana and cash seized by Blind River OPP
• Manitoulin business owner Chris Blodgett, 41, facing drug trafficking charge

After the six-month long investigation by the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, police seized:

• 57,792methamphetaminetablets,
• 7,229oxycodonepills
• 706 gramsof cocaine,
• 476.6 grams of marijuana
• 154.25fentanylpatches
• $252,000 (CAD)

"By working collaboratively with our police partners and mobilizing community leaders, the individuals who target our people have been arrested and charged as we tackle several challenging issues." saidChief Terry Armstrong,Nishnawbe-AskiPoliceService, in a press release.