THUNDER BAY - The execution of warrants at several properties throughout the city and Shuniah has resulted in the seizure of crack and powder cocaine worth more than $2.3 million, and while it is one of the most significant busts in the history of the Thunder Bay Police Service, the lucrative drug trade in the region means more dealers and more drugs will come to replace it.
“We arrest people steady and there is a steady flow of people coming to replace them,” said Det. Insp. John Fennell with the Thunder Bay Police Service. “We are trying to put a dent in that. This is substantial and will put a dent for a short period of time in the drug sales here.”
On Wednesday, the Thunder Bay Police Service revealed the results of Project Waffle, a seven-month investigation that began in August 2021 and led to the execution of search warrants at seven properties and three arrests on Friday, Feb. 4.
Thunder Bay Police Service chief Sylvie Hauth said it is one of the most significant seizures in the service’s history and was only made possible by the dedication and hard work of the members.
“They along with other law enforcement partners continue to show that determination and hard work pay off,” she said.
“We have never faced a greater threat to public safety and community safety and well-being as we face today. The burden on this community and our neighbourhoods is very high. The enforcement efforts will continue but we cannot sustain this fight without tangible supports from the province and the federal government.”
Properties were searched on Wentworth Crescent, Sleeping Giant Parkway, McKellar Street South, Rosedale Avenue, Clearwater Way, Jean Street, and Sunnyside Beach Avenue in Shuniah.
The searches led to the seizure of crack and powder cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $2.3 million, along with $470,000 in cash, four handguns, and several vehicles.
Three people were taken into custody, including Sean Sikking, 27, of Shuniah and formerly of the Greater Toronto Area, who is charged with several firearms offences, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Tanner Douglas Hunt, 25, of Thunder Bay but formerly of Toronto, is also facing several firearm charges, as well as the possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Andre Gagne, 46, of Thunder Bay was also arrested and charged with the possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
All three appeared in court on Friday, Feb. 4 and were remanded into custody with a future court date.
According to Det. Sgt. Dan Irwin, who oversees the drugs, guns, and gangs unit with the Thunder Bay Police Service, most of the properties searched are known as stash houses, where drugs are processed and hidden, and not the result of home takeovers.
“Not to get into details, regarding individuals, to make it hard for us to detect them, they are going to use more houses,” he said. “We have all these rules to follow as police, they don’t. We have to do the leg work.”
Project Waffle was a joint effort between the Thunder Bay Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police and received assistance from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and Peel Region Police Service.
It was funded by the provincial government through Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario. Members of the Thunder Bay Police Service could not comment on the amount of funding, but Fennell said an investigation like Project Waffle involves countless hours and many members to complete.
“Outside funding is huge to help our community,” he said. “Police budgets take a hit. Even though it’s a very lucrative capture, this is not our money to use. We give it to the province after. We need provincial funding and federal funding. We haven’t had much.”
The city of Thunder Bay, like many across the country, is also facing an opioid crisis along with an increase in gang activity and violent incidents involving firearms. In 2021 alone, police responded to 354 overdoses, of which 94 were fatal.
“To put this in perspective, this seizure alone has prevented more than 15,000 doses from being sold in our city or sister communities around us,” Fennell said. “We cannot measure how many lives this may have saved from overdoses.”
“I think Thunder Bay, as we know, has an opioid crisis as well as many social problems with the high addiction rate,” Irwin added. “When we remove something to this extent, I know it’s not going to solve the problem, but it is going to make an impact. It could possibly make one dealer thinking of coming here or becoming a drug dealer not come to Thunder Bay.”
Irwin said he could not speculate as to whether the seizures and arrest associated with Project Waffle are related to criminal activity by Southern Ontario gangs.
“I would say it’s all intertwined,” he said. “Drugs, guns and gangs, human trafficking, it all goes hand in hand. I can’t speculate because the investigation is still ongoing.”
However, such a large bust can also have a negative impact for police because it tips off criminals involved in the drug trade to the information police have.
“The new technique we are seeing as of late is all of these different houses. What they are doing is putting stash houses in different places,” Fennell said.
“They don’t have one particular drug house and dealing out of that over and over because we are hitting those fast and hitting those hard and making those arrests. So they are moving around as fast as we are able to figure out where they are.”
The Project Waffle investigations remain ongoing. Police also recently launched Project Reveal as a way to educate community members on how they can assist police with information relating to drug trafficking in their neighbourhoods.
Anyone with information that could assist are encouraged to contact police at 684-1200 or submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com.
