Two men face 28 charges in St. Catharines drug trafficking case

Niagara police have arrested two men on 28 charges for alleged drug trafficking in St. Catharines.

Officers say they observed 24-year-old Patrick Roy of St. Catharines selling illegal drugs to pedestrians on Monday in the area of Welland Avenue and Page Street.

Detectives say they recognized Roy and that he already had a warrant out for his arrest.

Upon this realization, police say they attempted to arrest Roy, to which they were met with resistance and aggression.

Investigators say during the attempted arrest, Roy reached for a firearm he had concealed in his waist band. Despite this, police say they managed to make the arrest.

Authorities say Roy had also dropped a small bag during the altercation. It was allegedly picked up by 30-year-old Dustin Cichocki of St. Catharines, who police arrested a short time later at a home on Seneca Street.

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Officers say residents informed them that Cichocki had discarded the contents of the bag in a side yard.

In a search, police found 12 individually packaged bags of what they believe to be fentanyl, oxycodone, ecstasy and methadone.

Detectives charged Patrick Roy with 21 offences, including four counts of assault of a peace officer. Dustin Cichocki has been charged with seven offences, including obstruction of a peace officer.

Both men have been held in custody ahead of their court appearance on Tuesday.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service at 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009964.

Members of the community who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.

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