The Ontario Provincial Police has arrested nine people and laid 41 charges following a drug and weapons bust that targeted locations across Southwestern Ontario.
The OPP-led Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team executed eight search warrants last Wednesday in different communities, including Windsor, Leamington, London and Stoney Creek.
Officers seized two unregistered, restricted handguns, 150 rounds of ammunition, and an over-capacity magazine, which is prohibited.
"Street gangs are migrating to communities across Ontario, and this has resulted in an increase in the number of illegal firearms entering our communities," said the OPP.
The action also turned up $67,500 worth of cocaine, $20,500 in fentanyl tablets, and 163 oxycodone tablets worth $815. Police found more than $46,000 in cash.
Project Casbah was carried out with the help of the Windsor Police Service, London Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Waterloo Police Service, and Brantford Police. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, OPP Community Street Crime Units, the OPP Emergency Response Team, OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, and the OPP Provincial Weapons Unit also assisted.
Frontline officers from OPP detachments in Essex, Middlesex, and Burlington supported the investigation.
A 28-year-old man and two women, aged 23 and 26, face charges including possession for the purpose of trafficking, careless storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm, and possession of a prohibited device.
A 42-year-old man from London faces a charge of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Two suspects from Toronto and three others from Stoney Creek also face charges.
None of the charges have been proven in court, and all of those charged are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice.
Police also ask anyone with information regarding illegal possession and trafficking of drugs to call 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
