This happened in my home town..... wow...... @@
It is a highly addictive drug that has become increasingly popular among young Winnipeggers in recent years -- and increasingly alarming to justice officials.
Now, city police believe they've shut down a major ecstasy pipeline with one of the largest busts of its kind in Canadian history.
Investigators revealed Wednesday they seized a staggering 65 kilograms of pure ecstasy powder after stopping a vehicle for speeding at Portage Avenue and the Perimeter Highway on July 26.
A pair of British Columbia residents face charges.
Police believe the powder could have been broken down into 650,000 individual tablets, with a street value of $6.5 million.
"It's the largest we've seen in our history," said Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Jackie Chaput.
She said the powder would have been mixed with cutting agents before it was sold on the streets.
"This is several steps removed from the street level," she said.
Police were tight-lipped about other details concerning the seizure, including what type of vehicle was involved and if they were working in concert with the RCMP. They also did not say if the vehicle had been under surveillance before the bust occurred.
Police are not allowed by law to go on so-called "fishing expeditions" and must have reasonable grounds to search a vehicle. They have often come under attack from defence lawyers in court over the circumstances of major drug arrests, with several challenges resulting in cases being thrown out of court based on judges finding violations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Dalip Singh Judge, 32, of Surrey, B.C., and Paramjit Singh Gill, 32, of Delta, B.C., have been charged with drug trafficking. They spent four nights in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre before the Crown agreed to release them on bail, according to court documents obtained by the Free Press.
Both men agreed to post $80,000 sureties which will be lost if they are found to have breached any conditions. Judge and Singh were allowed to return to B.C. but must remain within the province unless they obtain written permission from a bail supervisor. They also had to turn over their passports and abstain from any drugs or alcohol. No curfew was imposed. The accused are currently being represented by Legal Aid lawyers.
Manitoba courts are starting to see an increasing number of ecstasy cases, and judges have stated they consider the drug to be every bit as potent as cocaine when dealing out sentences for those caught possessing or selling the drug.
Earlier this summer, the Free Press revealed how ecstasy was used as payment for nearly two dozen guns that were smuggled into Winnipeg from North Dakota. Two Minot college students admit they brought the guns across the border, obtained the drugs in exchange, then took the ecstasy back home to be sold.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/ecstasy-bust-one-of-nations-biggest-53785952.html
It is a highly addictive drug that has become increasingly popular among young Winnipeggers in recent years -- and increasingly alarming to justice officials.
Now, city police believe they've shut down a major ecstasy pipeline with one of the largest busts of its kind in Canadian history.
Investigators revealed Wednesday they seized a staggering 65 kilograms of pure ecstasy powder after stopping a vehicle for speeding at Portage Avenue and the Perimeter Highway on July 26.
A pair of British Columbia residents face charges.
Police believe the powder could have been broken down into 650,000 individual tablets, with a street value of $6.5 million.
"It's the largest we've seen in our history," said Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Jackie Chaput.
She said the powder would have been mixed with cutting agents before it was sold on the streets.
"This is several steps removed from the street level," she said.
Police were tight-lipped about other details concerning the seizure, including what type of vehicle was involved and if they were working in concert with the RCMP. They also did not say if the vehicle had been under surveillance before the bust occurred.
Police are not allowed by law to go on so-called "fishing expeditions" and must have reasonable grounds to search a vehicle. They have often come under attack from defence lawyers in court over the circumstances of major drug arrests, with several challenges resulting in cases being thrown out of court based on judges finding violations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Dalip Singh Judge, 32, of Surrey, B.C., and Paramjit Singh Gill, 32, of Delta, B.C., have been charged with drug trafficking. They spent four nights in custody at the Winnipeg Remand Centre before the Crown agreed to release them on bail, according to court documents obtained by the Free Press.
Both men agreed to post $80,000 sureties which will be lost if they are found to have breached any conditions. Judge and Singh were allowed to return to B.C. but must remain within the province unless they obtain written permission from a bail supervisor. They also had to turn over their passports and abstain from any drugs or alcohol. No curfew was imposed. The accused are currently being represented by Legal Aid lawyers.
Manitoba courts are starting to see an increasing number of ecstasy cases, and judges have stated they consider the drug to be every bit as potent as cocaine when dealing out sentences for those caught possessing or selling the drug.
Earlier this summer, the Free Press revealed how ecstasy was used as payment for nearly two dozen guns that were smuggled into Winnipeg from North Dakota. Two Minot college students admit they brought the guns across the border, obtained the drugs in exchange, then took the ecstasy back home to be sold.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/ecstasy-bust-one-of-nations-biggest-53785952.html
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
