Drug trafficking: Manitoba Department of Finance employee charged with corruption
The investigation led to the seizure of firearms, vehicles, electronic devices, a large quantity of articles related to drug trafficking, as well as crests of the Crazy Indians gang.
A Manitoba Department of Finance investigator is charged with bribery and breach of trust in a drug trafficking investigation. The accused was providing information about police operations to traffickers.
The investigation, dubbed Dawgpound, involved a 36-year-old Winnipegger who trafficked in various drugs, by the kilogram. This investigation began in May 2022.
The Winnipegger was organizing the importation of large quantities of cocaine from Ontario. He regularly picked up drugs and unstamped cigarettes in Ontario to bring back to Manitoba.
Its network extended to several communities across the province, including Winnipeg, Brandon, Poplar River, St. Laurent, Ashern, Fairford and Gypsumville.
Outside Manitoba, the network s also extended to Vancouver, Calgary, Pickering in Ontario, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Moncton and Prince Edward Island, adds the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
It became apparent that [the accused] had information about police response plans. Police were able to find the person responsible for the leak, according to the RCMP. This leak was from an investigator with the Manitoba Department of Finance's Special Investigations Section who was providing information to the head of this drug ring.
The 50-year-old man years was particularly involved in investigations of contraband cigarettes in the province.
The official and the trafficker were associates, according to Inspector Grant Stephen, who is responsible for the RCMP's Federal Serious and Organized Crime Enforcement in Manitoba.
The official was arrested on January 12 and is charged with bribery of officials, breach of trust by a public official and conspiracy to evade payment of duties.
RCMP points out that he was not a police officer and that he did not have access to all the information on his investigations.
Manitoba Justice Minister and Attorney General Kelvin Goertzen was present at the RCMP press conference. He points out that the Ministry of Finance will carry out an internal investigation into this matter.
Obviously individuals can be drawn into this kind of activity for all kinds of reasons […] But no matter the reason, no one is safe from the law, he says.
The message is clear. No matter who you are, where you work, if you help distribute and manufacture drugs, there are consequences, adds the minister.
The alleged trafficker does, as for him, facing numerous charges, including conspiracy and trafficking. He remains in custody.
Twenty other people in Manitoba and Ontario have been arrested and face charges in connection with Project Dawgpound.
One of the weapons seized had been made using a 3D printer. The others are two handguns and 16 long guns of various types.
Project Dawgpound investigators seized several kilograms of drugs.
The drugs seized have a value of $2.5 million and include 7.8 kilograms of cocaine, 327 MDMA tablets, 13.82 kilograms of MDMA crystals, 116 grams of “purple down”, 139.45 grams of carfentanil, 2.06 kilograms of methamphetamine; and 5 kilograms of psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
Contraband cigarettes seized in the operation reportedly earned Manitoba taxpayers $1.47 million in tax revenue.< /p>
Among them is a guard at the Canadian Science Center for Human and Animal Health in Winnipeg who stored and sold drugs while on the job, according to the RCMP.
