$29M GTA DRUG BUST INCLUDED SEARCH WARRANT IN GRAVENHURST JAN. 17
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST (Feb. 3) — A $29 million drug bust that netted police almost 300 kilos of cocaine included a search warrant in Gravenhurst last month.
Police say five people face a dozen charges after search warrants in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Gravenhurst.
One of the accused is a Mexican national who was subject to an immigration warrant for removal issued by the Canada Border Services Agency.

The search warrant in Gravenhurst took place January 17, OPP spokesperson Angie Sloan said in an email reply to MuskokaTODAY.com today.
She said: “None of the accused were arrested in Gravenhurst, nor were there any drugs seized at the residence in Gravenhurst where the warrant was executed.”
Asked then why the raid here, Sloan added: “To protect the integrity of the investigation we can’t provide details of what led to the warrant in Gravenhurst, but it was a residence linked to the investigation.”
The OPP Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG) initiated Project Shearwater in September 2024 after investigators became aware of high-level drug trafficking activity.
The five-month investigation focused on a cocaine trafficking network spanning throughout the GTA.
The OPP Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU), Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), OPP Central Region Community Street Crime Units (CSCU), Toronto Police Service (TPS) and York Regional Police (YRP) assisted throughout this operation.
On December 13 PGNG executed a search warrant on a residence and vehicle in Mississauga.
Between January 16 and 17 the OPP-led PGNG, OPP PWEU, OPP CSCU, OCTF, as well as TPS Emergency Task Force and Durham Regional Police Service, executed five search warrants in Toronto, Ajax, Markham and Gravenhurst, and five search warrants on vehicles.
Throughout the investigation, police seized 299 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of approximately $29 million, and more than $50,000 in Canadian currency.

The Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit has been engaged to investigate the financial component of Project Shearwater.
Four of the accused have been arrested and charged with 11 offences under the Criminal Code (CC) and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).
And one of those charges is a Mexican national who was subject to an immigration warrant for removal issued by the Canada Border Services Agency.
Javier Luis Martinez Harnandez Hernandez, age 29, of London, has been charged with:
- Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime under $5,000, s. 354(1) CC
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
Jason Tsang, age 40, of Markham, Sajjad Wadiwalla, age 42, of Ajax, and Philippe Payeur, age 48, of Toronto, have each been charged with the following three offences:
- Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence – trafficking cocaine, s. 465(1)(c) CC
- Trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(1) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
Two of the accused remain in custody and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto on a later date.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the fifth accused, Brian Nelson, age 38, of Toronto, who is wanted for conspiracy to commit an indictable offence – trafficking cocaine contrary to s. 465(1)(c) of the CC.
The Project Shearwater video announcement available on YouTube.
Police say the investigation is complete.
But anyone with any information about the trafficking of illegal drugs or the whereabouts of the individual outstanding is urged to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

About PGNG:
The OPP-led PGNG is dedicated to disrupting criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multijurisdictional drug trafficking investigations and reducing the number of illegal firearms in the province of Ontario. The PGNG works in partnership with the OPP-led PWEU as well as the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST), led by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The PGNG is comprised of members from 20 police services in both Ontario and Quebec as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
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