A Winnipeg Police Service shoulder badge is seen at the Public Information Office in Winnipeg, on September 2, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)
A nationwide drug trafficking network operating in Manitoba and beyond has been dismantled following a Winnipeg police investigation spanning nearly a year.
Dubbed “Project Lowkey,” the operation targeted a high-level drug trafficking group linked to organized crime in Toronto. The group was responsible for transporting large quantities of illicit drugs and firearms from Ontario to Winnipeg and distributing them across Manitoba, including First Nations communities, as well as parts of Saskatchewan, Ontario, Newfoundland, and Yukon.
On January 31, 2025, police executed multiple search warrants in Winnipeg, Sandy Bay First Nation, Thompson, Toronto, Brampton, Scarborough, and Saskatoon. The investigation was conducted with support from Manitoba First Nations Police, RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, and Saskatoon Police.
Seizures included:
- 7 loaded handguns with high-capacity magazines
- 10 kg of cocaine (estimated value: $250,000)
- 5 kg of methamphetamine (estimated value: $35,000)
- 25,000 hydromorphone pills (estimated value: $500,000)
- $280,000 in cash
- Luxury vehicles with hidden compartments for drug transport
Authorities say the traffickers used passenger vehicles, chartered buses, parcel shipping services, and commercial airlines to move drugs and weapons.
Nine people were arrested and charged, while arrest warrants have been issued for five additional individuals.
Police continue to investigate.
The WPS Organized Crime Division with the assistance of many police agencies including @rcmpmb and @MBFNPolice began Project Lowkey in Apr. 2024. Approx $890K worth of drugs, as well as numerous firearms, cash and vehicles were seized. https://t.co/kGuRHblDR0
— Winnipeg Police (@wpgpolice) March 12, 2025
