Police seize more than $3M in heroin, opium that had been woven into rugs; 10 face charges in Maples-based trafficking network

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/03/2023 (947 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police and federal border agents have intercepted an international drug-smuggling scheme, seizing large quantities of opium and heroin from city homes and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from safe-deposit boxes.

The Canada Border Services Agency alerted the Winnipeg Police Service drug unit to opium detected on several rugs in the Greater Toronto Area that were destined for Winnipeg, originating from Dubai, United Arab Emirates last September.

The opium, which is a precursor to heroin and other opioid-based drugs, was laced into threads that were woven into the carpets, which were shipped by commercial airline. The opium was then synthesized into heroin in Winnipeg, police allege.

The tip from border agents sparked two joint investigations, dubbed Project Poppy, that resulted in 10 arrests in Winnipeg and the drug seizures.

Winnipeg Police Service organized crime Insp. Elton Hall said the bust was significant, estimating the street-value of the drugs at more than $3 million.

“It’s an international investigation, quite frankly, involving countries overseas. This is something CBSA’s been dealing with and, in Winnipeg, we’re seeing more heroin now,” he said, adding that significant quantities of heroin haven’t been seen in the city for many years.

Jeryn Peters, CBSA’s prairie region intelligence and enforcement director, said the shipments were all identified in Winnipeg or the Toronto area, then police tracked the packages as part of the investigation.

Peters would not speculate where the opium came from prior to being shipped from Dubai.

Hall said he suspected the heroin shipped to Winnipeg was meant for consumption in the city, possibly tied to a street drug referred to as “purple down,” which typically consists of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin mixed with a stimulant such as caffeine or ephedrine.

Hall said city police determined the names and addresses associated to the rugs were faked to avoid detection by border agents and police.

“The addresses associated to many of the packages imported to Canada did not exist were or were delivered to vacant or unoccupied properties. As a result, the packages were returned to a storage facility in Winnipeg,” Hall told reporters Thursday.

On Sept. 19, a man went to a package facility in Winnipeg to try to pick up some of the rugs, Hall said, but the packages had been flagged by authorities and he was turned away.

City police then got authorization from a judge to do a controlled delivery of the opium-laced carpets, and on Sept. 23, more rugs were shipped, headed for an address on Sedona Crescent in The Maples. Officers allowed a controlled delivery and watched as a person at the home took the carpets inside, Hall said.

Drug investigators executed a warrant on the home, where three people were arrested. Police seized four rugs that contained 9.6 kilograms of opium, 227 grams of black tar heroin, 20.8 grams of powder heroin and about $21,625 in cash, as well as drug-trafficking materials.

Maneesha Kaur Grewal, a 26-year-old woman, Harpreet Sandhu, a 35-year-old man, and Gurpreet Mann, a 39-year-old man, all of Winnipeg, were each charged with possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking, possession of opium for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000 and two counts of importing a scheduled substance.

They were released on promises to appear.

In December, city police investigators began the second probe into a drug-dealing network in The Maples, which lasted about two months.

Between Feb. 1 and 8, police executed warrants on two homes, two vehicles and four financial institutions — where illicit cash was allegedly kept in safe-deposit boxes — in Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul.

Police arrested seven people from Winnipeg and seized about seven kilos of heroin and opium, $473,480 in cash, approximately $120,000 in gold jewelry, drug-trafficking materials and a BB gun.

Two 28-year-old men, a 31-year-old man and a 25-year-old man are facing charges of possession of heroin/opium for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

A 46-year-old woman and a 26-year-old woman face charges of possession of heroin/opium for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000 and under $5,000.

A 50-year-old man is facing charges of possession of heroin for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime under $5,000 and over $5,000, and two counts each of possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order and fail to comply with a probation order.

All were released on promises to appear.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera