Two Windsor residents have been charged and one Windsor man is outstanding $5.4 million worth of drugs were seized in a sophisticated organized crime network in Windsor and Toronto.
There were multiple arrests and search warrants involved in the initiative dubbed ‘Project Oz’ which also resulted in the seizure of more than $500,000 in cash along with six guns and ammunition.
On Thursday, June 27, members of the Toronto police drug squad and Windsor police executed a number of search warrants resulting in the arrests of four men and two women while two other men remain at large.
It is alleged the suspects formed part of a sophisticated network involved in the distribution of large volumes of powder cocaine, fentanyl and crystal methamphetamine in Toronto and Windsor.
Minja Ljumovic, 36, of Windsor, was arrested by Windsor police and charged with possession for the purposes of trafficking cocaine and trafficking cocaine.
Windsor police say Ljumovic was arrested on June 27 after the DIGS Unit received information that a male suspect was believed to be transporting a quantity of cocaine in a vehicle travelling along Highway 401 towards Windsor. Police say the suspect vehicle was stopped near the Manning Road exit and officers seized two kilos of cocaine, some cash and two cellphones.
Danielle Hess, 29, of Windsor, is also facing several firearm and drug-related charges.
Windsor police say they used a search warrant on June 27 to raid a home and vehicle in the 300 block of Crawford Avenue. Officers seized a large quantity of meth, fentanyl, cocaine and various illicit pills along with two firearms.
Sebastiano Profetto, 30, of Windsor is still wanted by police.
Sergeant Steve Betteridge tells CTV News this is an important investigation to keep drugs off the streets of Windsor.
"The people charged with this latest project they are not the user they are the trafficker," says Betteridge. "They are the ones taking advantage of people that may have succumbed to an addiction and profiting off of that and our goal is to keep our community safe."
Four people from Toronto are also facing numerous charges -- Christopher Janisse, 30, Brian Medeiros, 33, Mokoumba Mulumba, 31, and Steven Whalen, 34.
Jaidyn Downes, 33, of Cobourg, is also wanted by Toronto Police Service.
Fourteen search warrants were executed, including on six vehicles. The residences searched were located in Toronto, Brampton, and Windsor.
Police say traps (hidden compartments) were located in three of the vehicles and in furniture in two of the residences.
Police say they seized
- 24 kilograms of cocaine,
- 2.6 kilograms of Fentanyl
- 100 Fentanyl patches
- 1.4 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine
- 11 grams of crack cocaine
- 986 tablets of Hydro Morphone
- 265 tablets of Oxycodone
- 14 tablets of morphine
- 375 ml of morphine hydrochloride
- 757 tablets of codeine
- $553,652 in Canadian currency
- 9 mm Glock semi-automatic handgun –Seized in Windsor
- 40 Caliber Glock semi-automatic handgun - Seized in Windsor
- 9 mm Glock Semi-automatic handgun – Seized in Toronto
- .40 Caliber Springfield Arms Semi-automatic handgun – Seized in Toronto
- .40 KAHR Semi-automatic handgun – Seized in Toronto
- .38 Ruger Revolver – Seized in Toronto
- Three (3) Over capacity magazines
- 238 rounds of various firearm ammunition
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Toronto Police Service 416-808-6100, or the Windsor Police Service Drugs and Guns Enforcement Unit at 519 255-6700, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).
