Eight arrested, $2.5M in drugs seized after Petawawa firearm incident

A file photo of OPP sign. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIAArticle content

Although the suspect in a firearm discharge in Petawawa in March remains at large, the investigation of that incident has led this past week to the arrest of eight other individuals and the seizure of more than $2.5 million worth of illegal drugs, police say.

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Police searches were conducted at locations in both Ontario and Quebec on Thursday, June 5, with the eight suspects being subsequently charged with a total of 47 offences, said an Ontario Provincial Police news release posted on Saturday.

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Most of the suspects, ranging in age from 20 to 63, are residents of Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. Besides weapons and drug offences, some of the suspects also face charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

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Items seized by police during the investigation included:

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A 9-millimetre handgun with the serial number removed;Two replica handgunsAmmunition17,000 suspected methamphetamine tablets15.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine12.3 kilograms of suspected fentanyl124 grams of suspected crack cocaine3,000 suspected hydromorphone tablets112 grams of suspected crystal methamphetaminJewelry valued at $150,000More than $264,000 in Canadian currencyArticle content

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on March 22, officers from the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment of the OPP responded to a report of a firearm discharge in the hallway of an apartment building on Wolfe Avenue in Petawawa. The shooter reportedly fled on foot.

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Saturday’s news release said the investigation later revealed that the residence, which was occupied, had been mistakenly targeted. No injuries were reported.

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The OPP said the person of interest in that investigation may be in the Montreal area. He was described as a white male 30-40 years of age and standing approximately five feet 10 inches tall with a thin build. They were wearing a dark-coloured medical mask, a dark jacket and dark pants.

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The investigation by the Upper Ottawa Valley detachment’s crime unit is continuing under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch and with assistance from OPP Forensic Identification Services and the OPP East Region Community Street Crime Unit. The release said additional support was provided by Gatineau Police, Sûreté du Quebec, Ottawa Police Service, OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, OPP Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau and OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.

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