Eight Oshawa residents charged in drug raids

By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express

Eight Oshawa residents are among the more-than-40 people arrested in a province-wide drug sting.

The series of arrests, most taking place in the GTA but as far away as Ottawa, were executed simultaneously early in the morning of April 22. Of the 29 warrants written, 14 were for Durham Region.

In total, police seized 49 kilos of marijuana, 1.4 kilos of cocaine, 615 grams of methamphetamine, 325 litres of GHB – a date rape drug – as well as crack cocaine, hashish and hashish oil. Police also seized more than $220,000 in Canadian currency, 13 vehicles and one house.

“It all started in Whitby and, through that network, it traveled as far as Ottawa,” Sgt. Bill Calder, a spokesperson for Durham police, tells The Oshawa Express. “We seized the house as proceeds of crime, which means that in our mind, criminal activity is what paid for the house.”

A news release from Durham police adds that the investigation started following the investigation of a drug dealer in Whitby.

Calder added that the investigation is still ongoing.