Considering that Halton Regional Police recently seized the largest quantity of drugs in its history in a joint forces operation with other enforcement agencies and continues to bust drug rackets, Project Mover, its drug trafficking investigation last year, deserves special mention.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, drug overdoses have spiked, leading to seven suspected drug poisoning, including one death in our town in the first 11 days of August 2021. Halton Police had confirmed that more than half of the victims used fentanyl.
After a year-long investigation into drug trafficking, Project Mover culminated with the seizure of ten kilograms of Fentanyl worth more than $4 million. The Drug and Human Trafficking unit of Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) initiated Project Mover in late 2019 with the investigation of two residents from Oakville, suspecting their involvement in drug trafficking.
According to the Annual Report 2020 of HRPS, the police successfully applied several strategies and tools to complete the investigation. The police identified a network of miscreants involved in drug trafficking across the Greater Toronto area. HRPS also executed search warrants in residences of Scarborough, Oakville, Brampton, Markham and Mississauga.
"With a fatal dose of Fentanyl being as little as 2 mg, this seizure potentially saved four million lives," the annual report mentioned about the seizure made through Project Mover.
HRPS also arrested nine suspects between June and September 2020 and pressed multiple charges in connection with drug trafficking on them. The police also seized other drugs like Heroin, Cocaine and Crystal Methamphetamine and recovered more than $300,000 in Canadian currency.