OPP investigation leads to large drug and cash seizure
OPP say that a drug investigation has culminated in a large drug and cash seizure in the Kingston area and in the village of Elgin.
In November, 2020, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) began a drug investigation, dubbed “Project Spectre”. That investigation led to two Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) search warrants.
OPP say that on May 27, 2021, the CSCU executed both warrants, at residences located on Highway 15, in the Village of Elgin, and on Oakview Avenue, in the City of Kingston. The CSCU was assisted by other CSCU members from Lennox & Addington OPP, Frontenac OPP, and Prince Edward County OPP, as well as members of the OPP East Region Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), Emergency Response Team (ERT), Canine Unit, and members from the Kingston Police Service Emergency Response Unit.
Police say they located and seized nearly a kilogram of cocaine, a quantity of suspected heroin, almost $27,000 in cash, digital scales, and several mobile phones. As a result of the investigation, two males were arrested and charged.
Mark Vaudin, 48 years of age, of Elgin, Ontario, was arrested and charged for:
Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – Contrary to Section 5(2) of the CDSA
Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000 – Contrary to Section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code (CC)
He has since been released, and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brockville at a later date.
A second suspect, John Vaudin, 55 years of age, of Kingston, Ontario, was arrested and charged for:
Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking – Contrary to Section 5(2) of the CDSA
He was held for a bail hearing on May 28, 2021.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information pertinent to this investigation and wishing to report information anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-(TIPS) 8477 or submit a tip online at www.ontariocrimestoppers.ca. Crime Stoppers will not ask for your name, you don’t go to court, and you could earn a cash reward.