Thunder Bay police make biggest crystal meth bust in city's history, seize 5.2kg

Three people from Thunder Bay are facing charges following the largest single seizure of crystal methamphetamine by city police.

Police executed a search warrant on Thursday at a Pacific Avenue residence, following an investigation into drug trafficking that began last fall.

Inside the residence, police found about 5.2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, as well as quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, cash, and drug trafficking paraphernalia.

"I will say that Thunder Bay has been fortunate in my experiencein that we've seen very little in the way of crystal meth," Thunder Bay police Det. Insp. Jeremy Pearson said Friday. "And in fact, it's only in recent years that we've seen [crystal meth] with any regularity, and even that sporadically.

"The largest seizures prior to this would not have been over 100 grams."

Pearson said the drugs camefrom outside of Thunder Bay, and police are now investigating whether they were intended for sale in the city or elsewhere.

"With the absence of significant seizures of crystal meth in the past, and some of the issues that are plaguing outlying communities with crystal meth, there is, of course, the possibility and the investigative theory that this substance, and in factthis quantity, was destined elsewhere," Pearson said.

"And that Thunder Bay, as a hub for the region, is in fact becoming a secondary supplier," he said.

"So that is, of course, of great concern and I think shows the the regional impact that an investigation such as this can have," he said.

Another possibility investigators are looking at is whether there's an effort to create a bigger market for crystal meth in Thunder Bay, Pearson said.

In any case, Pearson said the seizure is a significant disruption to the drug trade in Thunder Bay.

"I'm not naive to think that this is the end of the illicit drug trade in the city," he said. "It's simply another significant blow to that that industry here in the city."

"And we are engaged in other active investigations," Pearson said. "We continue to to target the higher level suppliers and in that sense, have an impact."

All three accused a 43-year-old man, 41-year-old man, and 55-year-old woman are facing drug-related chargesand appeared in court Friday.

The 43-year-old man and 55-year-old woman were remanded into custody, while the remaining accused was released with conditions and a future court date.

Pearson said the possibility that another illicit substance is being introduced to the city in such a big way is concerning.

"We've seen the detrimental effects of the the opioid crisis, and fentanyl in particular," he said. "We've seen the seizures that are being made. We've seen the overdose deaths that are occurring. We've seen the violence and the property crime that spills out of substance misuse.

"The potential introduction of another dangerous substance in the community is of concern," Pearson said. "I will not downplay that. I think that the community is already concerned about the influx of illicit drugs and their effect on the community."