THUNDER BAY — A Toronto man facing charges connected to a significant drug investigation where Thunder Bay police seized drugs with an estimated street value of nearly $400,000 in June 2020 was ordered to be released from custody following a bail review this week.
Didier Denzel Kongolo, 21, was arrested with Verdiana Lama and Janneka Lauren Martinez last June after a drug investigation led Thunder Bay Police to a Van Norman Street address where police made the largest fentanyl seizure in the service’s history.
At the time, police said through a news release the investigation into the Van Norman Street address began in October 2019 and individuals at the residence had been identified as supplying drug houses throughout the city.
On June 3, 2020, a search warrant was executed at the residence and police seized a large quantity of fentanyl, crack cocaine, cocaine,$150,000 in Canadian cash, and a handgun.
Kongolo’s charges include possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, obstruct a peace officer, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, careless storage of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized.
Both Lama and Martinez face similar charges.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, Justice W. Danial Newton delivered his decision on Kongolo’s bail review, ordering him to be released from custody following a multiday hearing in the Superior Court of Justice. Information and evidence discussed at the bail hearing are protected under a court-ordered publication ban.
Court documents show Kongolo was initially denied bail on June 11, 2020. He applied for a bail review a few months later.
Upon his release, Kongolo will be required to wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet. He will be under the care of three sureties who promised to pay a total of $14,000 for his release. If Kongolo breaches his release conditions, the money could be forfeited to the courts.
Kongolo is required to live with one surety in Toronto and remain at a specified residence at all times under supervision.
Further, he cannot possess or use any computer device, cellphone or video game systems capable of accessing the internet except under the supervision of a surety.
Kongolo is also not allowed to use a telephone unless supervised by a surety or when consulting with his lawyer. Once each surety signs Kongolo's release order, he will be released from custody, according to court documents.
He is also not allowed to communicate with Janneka Lauren Martinez, Verdiana Lama or Johnson Kongolo and is barred from entering the district of Thunder Bay except for attending for court purposes.
Lama was denied bail at a hearing on June 18, 2020. Martinez remains in custody awaiting bail.
All three individuals are scheduled to appear in court again in late February.
