Nearly 30 Manitobans accused in province’s largest drug seizure Network with international ties smuggled 525 kilograms of illicit substances across U.S. border into Canada, police say By: Erik Pindera and Tyler Searle Posted: 11:32 AM CDT Wednesday, May. 20, 2026 Last Modified: 5:18 PM CDT Wednesday, May. 20, 2026 Updates

Winnipeg police pulled 525 kilograms of illicit drugs off the streets in the largest seizure in Manitoba history, making more than 30 arrests as the city staggers under the weight of a crippling drug crisis.

The arrests are tied to a trafficking network with international connections to organized crime, police said at a news conference Wednesday as details behind the investigation, dubbed Project Puma, were announced.

“The widespread availability of illicit drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl in our communities has contributed to a growing addiction and overdose crisis in Winnipeg, across Manitoba and throughout Canada,” said Winnipeg Police Service organized crime Insp. Josh Ewatski, as he detailed the results of the two-year probe.

“Every day, families and communities continue to experience the devastating impacts that these dangerous substances inflict.”

The investigation began when the WPS organized crime unit was tipped off in December 2023 about a criminal organization operating in Manitoba and Alberta.

With additional money from the Manitoba government, Winnipeg police launched Project Puma in May 2024, and investigators soon learned large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl were being imported to Winnipeg and parts of northwestern Ontario, Ewatski said.

Over the course of two years, city police partnered with a variety of law enforcement and government agencies in Manitoba and across the country to identify multiple drug-trafficking cells operating under a single umbrella organization, believed to be sourcing substances from national-level suppliers.

Investigators discovered the members of the “core network” behind the importation scheme had links to the “upper echelons” of international organized crime groups: the Hells Angels biker gang, the Wolf Pack Alliance drug consortium and several unspecified Mexican drug cartels, Ewatski said.

Police aimed to dismantle the cells, while gathering intelligence on the higher levels of the criminal organizations, said the inspector.

Investigators learned the network was using commercial vehicles to smuggle illicit drugs across the United States border into southern Ontario, before the substances were warehoused in Alberta and Ontario, said Ewatski.

The drugs were then brought into Manitoba via mail, courier deliveries, commercial transport trucks and in private vehicles with hidden compartments.

Over the course of the project, police arrested 33 people, mostly in Winnipeg, who are facing a total of 174 charges related to drug trafficking, conspiracy and possessing the proceeds of crime.

Police seized a stockpile of illicit drugs, including 339 kilograms of methamphetamine, 175 kg of cocaine, 11.25 kg of fentanyl, various pills, cannabis and cannabis derivatives. Most of the drug seizures were in Winnipeg and Vaughan, Ont. in April.

Ewatski said the project shows that collaboration between law enforcement agencies is critical to combating organized crime.

“Criminal networks no longer operate within silos, they collaborate with rivals, operate across jurisdictions, adapt quickly and rely on complex supply chains, making it impossible for any single agency to combat this threat on their own,” said Ewatski.

The inspector said the flow of drugs contributes to violence and most other types of crime in Winnipeg and elsewhere.

Investigators applied for more than 200 judicial authorizations, including production orders and search warrants, to conduct the probe. Officers also conducted multiple undercover operations, including covertly purchasing kilograms of drugs, Ewatski said.

Winnipeg police Deputy Chief Cam Mackid said the scourge of the illicit drug trade plays out across society, with the ripple effects of addiction felt by families, in neighbourhoods and across the justice, health and social services systems.

“Directly or indirectly, the drug trade in our community impacts every single one of us,” he said at the news conference, which was also attended by Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe and law enforcement officials from Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.

“This ecosystem of chaos is dependent on one thing — the constant supply and distribution of massive amounts of drugs into our community. That makes it absolutely essential, from a law enforcement perspective, that we target the drug trade at all levels.”

The police operation concluded earlier this year.

If sold in individual doses on the street, the drugs would be worth more than $37.2 million.

Officers also seized 14 firearms, $825,000 in cash and 1.35 million untaxed cigarettes.

Of those arrested, 29 are from Manitoba, one is from Alberta and three are from Ontario.

Seven people have already pleaded guilty, receiving sentences ranging from three to 16 years, Ewatski said.

The accused represent a mix of high- and low-level members of the network and cells, Ewatski said.

He would not reveal which of the accused are believed to make up the core of the network, with associations to members of Hells Angels, Wolf Pack or Mexican cartels.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca