The RCMP logo is seen on a podium ahead of a news conference, in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Saturday, June 24, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)
A Winnipeg man has been charged after RCMP say he was running a drug trafficking operation in northern Manitoba.
Authorities began Project Doom in October 2022 after a tip from Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries about suspicious activity in Winnipeg casinos.
The money laundering investigation found the suspect was using cash proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs in casinos to hide their connection to criminal activity.
RCMP say the suspect was supplying T3s, percocets, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to the remote First Nation communities of Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill, Island Lake, and St. Theresa Point in Manitoba. There were also connections to North Spirit Lake in Ontario, as well as the Winnipeg area.
Mohammad Riyadul Hoque, 30, from Winnipeg, was arrested on September 19. He has been charged with multiple drug-related offences, as well as possession of the proceeds of crime.
“The amount of illicit drugs entering northern Manitoba communities was of great concern during this investigation,” said Inspector Tim Arseneault of Manitoba RCMP. “The cooperation of all agencies involved helped short circuit this supply chain and potentially save lives in these communities.”
