Kingston Police: Three drug and firearm investigations lead to ‘numerous arrests’
Kingston Police have recently completed three separate drug and firearm investigations resulting in “numerous arrests” over the past two months.
During that time, the Kingston Police Street Crime Unit and Drug Enforcement Unit – working alongside the Peel Regional Police and the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Street Crime Unit – investigated two people “actively trafficking street drugs in all three respective jurisdictions,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Friday, Jun. 2, 2023.
This investigation, according to police, led to the execution of two search warrants – one for a residence and the other for a vehicle, both of which were located in the area of Princess and Division Streets in downtown Kingston – on Thursday, May 18, 2023, where two people were arrested for drug trafficking offences.
According to police, that day, officers seized 114 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 18 grams of fentanyl, 15 grams of cocaine, and a “large sum of Canadian currency.”
“The total street value of the drugs seized is $29,330,” Kingston Police said.
As a result, 22-year-old Roshawn Cozry of Toronto, and 43-year-old Amanda Holland of Kingston were arrested.
Police said that Cozry was charged with:
- Three counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
Holland was charged with:
- Three counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking
- Possession of proceeds obtained by crime.
The second investigation involved the execution of a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at an apartment in a building in the area of Montreal Street and Village Drive. That warrant – executed by the Kingston Police Street Crime Unit on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 – led to the seizure of a quantity of crystal methamphetamine, three realistic/replica pellet guns, and a semi-automatic shotgun with an extended magazine and muzzle flash suppressor.
According to police, as a result, 30-year-old Cole Hennigar from Kingston was charged with:
- Possession of a firearm other than restricted or prohibited firearms without holding a licence
- Three counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited
- Unlawful possession of a Schedule 1 controlled substance
- 12 counts of breach of probation
“The accused was held pending a bail hearing due to their current court releases including two probation orders and three weapons prohibitions in relation to prior drug and firearm convictions,” Kingston Police said.
Finally, also in May 2023, the Kingston Police Drug Enforcement Unit and Street Crime Unit began investigating “a number of males believed to be from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), who were involved in trafficking cocaine and fentanyl within the City of Kingston.” This led to the execution of a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant being executed at a residence on Colborne Street on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, with the assistance of the OPP East Region Emergency Response Team, police relayed.
As a result, 41-year-old William Codie MacDonald of Kingston, 19-year-old Braiden Bennett of the GTA, and 18-year-old Darius Hamilton of the GTA were charged with “a number of Criminal Code and Drug offences,” Kingston Police said.
Both Bennett and Hamilton were arrested, and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of MacDonald.
Police disclosed that the following items were seized as a result of the investigation:
- 185 grams of cocaine
- 75 grams of fentanyl
- Approximately $6,200 in Canadian currency
- A 9 mm Glock handgun
- A 40-calibre Sig Sauer handgun
“The culmination of these investigations clearly illustrates our commitment to relentlessly pursing anyone responsible for spreading these dangerous drugs throughout our community,” Acting Deputy Chief Brian Pete of Kingston Police said in a statement.
“Kingston Police is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from those that wish to prey upon them. Additionally, the seizure of multiple loaded and illegally obtained firearms highlights the dangers faced by police officers in Ontario every day while bravely carrying out their duties.”