Some may have figured it was a Halloween prank but the October 31st high-risk takedown Tuesday afternoon at the RBC on Stockdale was very real.
“We did not want to do it on the move obviously, issues with escape, so as soon as the vehicle pulled into the RBC the plan was laid and we went with it. But it was very busy up there at the time and I can imagine some of the people there had their heads spinning wondering what is going on,” said Detective Constable Matthew Parker, a member of the North Bay Street Crimes Unit at a press conference at Police Headquarters Wednesday afternoon.
The investigation involved a search warrant at a Powassan residence, and all in all, the two incidents gathered more than $65,000 worth of street drugs from Fentanyl to cocaine and a yet to be determined amount of cash. That was along with two guns, a hunting knife and a police baton and the seizure of a 2013 Dodge Ram truck.
“They were all very cooperative obviously because they could see what they were facing,” said Parker.
See related story: Two face serious drug charges
Jeremy Sauve 32 of British Columbia and Patricia Vaughan, 43, from B.C. were charged, and are linked to a street gang called the “Red Scorpions,” who are described as a street gang involved in the drug trade in B.C. and are moving into the northeast region of Ontario.
Parker says the seizure is significant.
“This is the largest amount of fentanyl that was seized here with the North Bay Police. Fentanyl at the moment is an extreme concern for us, but also we have the issues with the weapons we located, that causes an extra concern because he has been involved in a violent incident where someone was injured. What we believe is due to a drug debt, so obviously, he was high on our radar to take care of as quickly as possible,” said Parker noting that incident occurred in this area.
Police Chief Shawn Devine praised the Ontario Provincial Police for their assistance in the arrests.
“Really city boundaries do not deter us from working together and again with the information that the subjects were from another province. So just because you are in another area we still have investigations that are possible,” said Devine.
While the arrest occurred without incident, and plenty of drugs were taken off the streets, the police realize it doesn’t stop here.
“As soon as we block one hole, another one opens up and other people will move in,” said Parker.
