Provincial and local police worked together to sweep the streets of low-level drug dealers, according to news sources. The sweep, called Project Flurry by Ottawa police, focused predominantly on the Byward Market in Ottawa as well as the downtown core. Some 21 people were arrested in the sweep, all of whom now face drug charges.
The specifics of how the sweep was conducted were not included in this report, which says roughly 80 charges were filed against those arrested. The arrested individuals ranged from age 16 through 55, and include two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl. It is unclear at this time whether all of these individuals are currently in police custody.
Investigators have reported that a wide variety of alleged drugs were seized. Among the confiscated material, police say they recovered cocaine, opioids, heroin and amphetamines. However, analysis on many of the drugs seized is still pending as of this report. A spokesperson for the police said many of the individuals arrested are believed to have traveled to the downtown core from other areas to sell drugs on a street level.
In massive sweeps resulting in drug charges, the potential for police error can be high. Ottawa prosecutors will have to prove conclusively not only that the drugs they seized are what they represent them to be, but also that the accused on the list of 21 arrested individuals had a hand in distributing and selling those drugs. If police deviated from best practices in conducting the arrests, or if the rights of any the accused individuals were not respected, it could have repercussions on the rest of the case, possibly even resulting in charges being lowered or dropped entirely.
Source: CTV Ottawa News, "Project Flurry: 21 people charged in Ottawa sweep of alleged street level drug dealers", July 7, 2017
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