Sudbury police intercept fentanyl shipments from Southern Ontario

North Bay Detective Constable Brad Reaume isn’t exaggerating when he says as bad as the opioid crisis is in North Bay, it’s far worse in Sudbury.

In the span of two months, Sudbury police have intercepted several shipments of fentanyl coming from Southern Ontario and raided city homes where the drug was already present.

Police have seized more than 660 grams of fentanyl worth about $250,000 and also scooped up $41,000 in cash during those raids and interceptions.

The first seizure goes back to May 5^th when Sudbury police got tipped off about a large shipment of fentanyl coming to their city from Southern Ontario.

When police spotted a vehicle being operated in a suspicious manner, a tactical squad intercepted it.

Inside were 227 grams of fentanyl with a street value of almost $79,000 plus $8,000 cash.

The next four seizures occurred in rapid succession of each during late June.

On June 21^st Sudbury police raided a hotel room where they found 30 grams of fentanyl worth $8,600 in addition to $30,000 cash.

Two days later police got another tip that more fentanyl was coming to the Nickel City from Southern Ontario.

Police stopped the vehicle during a traffic stop and had to stop it a second time when the driver sped away hitting an unmarked police cruiser.

The vehicle contained more than 230 grams of fentanyl worth about $92,000.

On June 26^th police again got word that a significant amount of fentanyl was coming to Sudbury from the Greater Toronto Area.

Police saw the vehicle in a parking lot and arrested two men in addition to seizing about 176 grams of fentanyl with a street value of $70,600.

The final bust took place on June 27^th when police raided a home in Sudbury and found a quantity of oxycodone and fentanyl plus $2,700 cash.

Police have laid various drug-related charges against seven people in connection with the five seizures.

The accused are from Sudbury, Toronto and Southern Ontario and range in age from 22 to 45 years of age.

The one exception is a 16-year-old Toronto boy involved in the May 5^th incident.

He faces several charges under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Indications are the teen acted alone in the May 5^th incident because police don’t say that anyone else was arrested in that investigation.