Hamilton man among 25 charged after OPP seize $1.9M in drugs

A Hamilton man is among dozens of people facing charges after a province-wide investigation led to the seizure of nearly $1.9 million worth of drugs.

The investigation dubbed “Project Saturate” launched in January 2024 and involved Ontario Provincial Police and the Hamilton, Peel and Greater Sudbury police services.

Officers identified two GTA-based street gangs involved in the trafficking of controlled substances to northeastern Ontario.

Investigators carried out six search warrants on May 8 in Hamilton, Mississauga and Sudbury. Three weeks later, police executed another 14 search warrants in Mississauga, Toronto, Pickering and Sudbury.

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Officers then seized four firearms, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and CAD $259,000 in cash, among other things.

“This quantity of drugs seized in a community like Sudbury is significant. We also seized four firearms, which supports the notion that the presence of street gangs brings the potential for gun violence,” says the OPP Acting Det. Supt. Andy Bradford of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.

Chadwin Andrews, 33, of Hamilton faces five charges relating to drug trafficking and is expected to appear in a Sudbury court on July 9.

Andrews is one of 25 people from across the GTA facing 197 charges in connection with this investigation.

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