13 people arrested in drug investigation involving Winnipeg bagel shop owner, police say
Project Onyx included arrest of Chris Silva, who owns Hudson Bagels on Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg
Police have arrested 13 people, seized several luxury vehicles and confiscated more than 75 kilograms of illegal drugs as part of an interprovincial drug trafficking investigation that brought charges against the owner of a Winnipeg bagel shop.
The drug trafficking network allegedly imported large amounts of cocaine from Ontario and methamphetamine and MDMA from British Columbia, Winnipeg Police Service Insp. Elton Hall said at a Friday news conference.
Hall said the group used methods including commercial shipping, airline companies and highway-based drug couriers to move kilograms of drugs into Manitoba.
"This is probably the tip of the iceberg, not just in Winnipeg but in Canada," Hall said.
"These individuals, you know, whether they know it or not, are preying on vulnerable people in this city — people who are reliant on this. They make a lot of money off of this."
The arrests in the investigation, called Project Onyx, included Chris Silva, who owns Hudson Bagels on Sherbrook Street in Winnipeg.
Silva was charged in December with trafficking, possession for the purposes of trafficking, and possession of property or the proceeds of property obtained by drug-related crime valued over $5,000.
A statement of claim filed around the same time in the Manitoba Court of King's Bench by the director of criminal property forfeiture alleged Silva was a high-ranking member of a drug trafficking network that moved cocaine and MDMA into Manitoba and distributed it within the province.
The crimes Silva is charged with were alleged to have happened between Sept. 13 and Dec. 14, court records say.
The court document also alleged police saw around $1 million worth of cocaine being handled, stored and/or distributed by members of the network. It also alleged that Silva was seen being given drug money by another member of the network.
Bagel shop, garage searched
Hall said police did more than two dozen searches in December, including at two Winnipeg businesses: Silva's bagel shop and a garage. No details were provided about where the auto shop is or why it was searched.
Police also searched 10 homes and 12 vehicles in Winnipeg, as well as a residence in Niverville, Man., and one in Coquitlam, B.C.
In addition to Silva, eight people in Winnipeg were arrested in connection with the investigation. Two men in rural Manitoba — Springfield and Niverville — were also charged.
The other two arrests were men from Toronto and Coquitlam, police said.
During the investigation, police monitored hundreds of thousands of dollars being shipped and transferred through shipping companies and businesses by people using disguised identities, Hall said.
On Jan. 31, a drug courier was arrested on the way from the Greater Toronto Area to Winnipeg with several kilograms of cocaine hidden in his vehicle, he said. The bricks of drugs were concealed in a secret compartment within the vehicle.
Green meth, hidden guns
Hall said the investigation also led to the seizure of about $500,000 in cash, 50 kilograms of cocaine, 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1.5 kilograms of MDMA, 50 kilograms of a cutting agent and several guns.
Police also found guns hidden within bricks of drugs they seized, which Hall said he'd never seen before.
The methamphetamine seized was tinged green, which was the first time police have seen that in Manitoba. The dark coloured bricks of cocaine look like cocaine that comes from Mexico, Hall said.
Police also seized a combined five kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, psilocybin and oxycodone, he said.
A dozen vehicles were also taken by police, including a 2013 BMW X3, a BMW sedan, a 2017 Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV and a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class SUV.
Police are also reviewing the seizure of several properties with a total value in the millions of dollars, Hall said. It's also expected that more charges will be laid.
Interprovincial support
Police said the organized crime unit's investigation started in spring 2022.
The investigation ended up getting help from a number of other agencies, including the Canada Border Services Agency, the Manitoba Criminal Intelligence Centre, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, RCMP in Manitoba and Coquitlam and police in Ontario and Vancouver.
Kelvin Goertzen, Manitoba's justice minister, said the province contributed $250,000 to the investigation through the criminal intelligence centre.
Goertzen said while it's important to help people struggling with addictions, "we also need to be clear and send a message" to those profiting off the sale of illegal drugs.
"In Manitoba, through law enforcement and support with the government, we're going to be coming after you hard to get those drugs off the street and to ensure that whatever profits you're making are seized," he said.
