Five people were arrested and face a number of trafficking-related charges following an Ontario Provincial Police sweep Thursday of communities along the St. Lawrence River.
The OPP East Region street crime unit began an investigation earlier in the spring into the trafficking of cocaine to drug dealers in the region.
Through the day Thursday, officers searched locations on Prince Street in Prescott, County Road 26 in Augusta Township, Cartier Court in Brockville and a campsite on the Long Sault Parkway in Long Sault.
Eleven people were initially taken into custody, but only five were charged.
Investigators seized more than 240 grams of suspected cocaine, more than a dozen hydromorphone pills and a quantity of ecstasy pills. They also seized items typically associated with drug trafficking as well as approximately $30,000 in cash.
Officers also recovered a stolen 2022 dirt bike and seized two other vehicles. They also seized a bulletproof vest, a 22-calibre rifle, a variety of ammunition and a set of brass knuckles.
Most of the accused were remanded in custody pending bail hearings next week, an OPP news release said.
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