Police Seize $1.3M in Cocaine in Ontario Drug Bust

Ontario Police confiscated cocaine, money, and other items in a June 25 raid in Cornwall, Ont. (Cornwall Police Service/Handout photo)

Cornwall Police have seized roughly $1.3 million worth of cocaine and $300,000 in cash as part of a major drug bust in this small Eastern Ontario city.

Two Cornwall residents are facing multiple charges after police executed a search warrant in the area of Portland Drive June 25 as part of Project Resurrection, a collaborative investigation involving police forces throughout the region, Cornwall Police Service said in a July 2 press release.

The drug bust was conducted with the assistance of the Canada Border Services Agency, the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario, and Ontario Provincial Police.

“A substantial quantity of illicit drugs were seized during this investigation,” Cornwall Police Chief Shawna Spowart said in the release. “This operation is a testament to our ongoing commitment of combatting drug trafficking and protecting our community.”

Cornwall residents Rene Clement, 37, and 38-year-old Meagan Malone were arrested in connection with the investigation and face multiple charges including possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

They have also been charged with two counts each of possession of a prohibited device or ammunition and two counts of possession of firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition order.

Police said the accused were also allegedly in possession of digital scales and packaging material.

Both were held in custody to await a bail hearing, police said.

Project Resurrection included collaboration with the Kingston, Ottawa, Smiths Falls, and Brockville Police Services.

Cocaine use is on the rise in Canada, federal data released in 2023 suggests.

The level of cocaine use rose from January to May 2022 compared with the same period in 2020, a Statistics Canada report found.

Wastewater monitoring for drug use suggests “the trend of increasing levels of cocaine use continues in most municipalities,” the report said.

Public Health Agency of Canada stats show drug overdoses increased by more than 30 percent from 2020 to 2021, the StatCan report noted, adding that approximately half of the accidental opioid deaths “also involved a stimulant” like cocaine.

The Canada Border Services Agency has confiscated cocaine at the border on several occasions in recent years.

More than 1.5 tonnes of suspected cocaine was seized by the border agency at the Container Examination Facility in Halifax, NS in March. The seizure was valued at approximately $194 million, the agency said in a press release.

The RCMP are continuing to investigate the incident and, so far, no arrests have been made.

That seizure comes several months after $6.5 million worth of cocaine was intercepted by federal authorities at a Niagara-on-the-Lake border crossing.

Border agency officers thwarted the alleged drug run last September after searching the vehicle of a commercial truck driver, the agency reported at the time.

The search revealed 202 brick-shaped objects, which tested positive for suspected cocaine with a total weight of 233 kilograms.

The driver was arrested and was charged by the RCMP with offences related to drug importation and trafficking.