Gun seized in St. Catharines drug investigation
Niagara Regional Police investigating an alleged cocaine and fentanyl trafficking operation in St. Catharines arrested a 24-yearold Toronto man and seized a loaded handgun and thousands of dollars worth of drugs.
Since October, members of the St. Catharines street crime and guns, gangs and grows unit have been investigating the man accused of selling drugs from various addresses in the city, says a media release from the NRP.
Over the course of several days, police surveillance observed a man involved in suspected drug sales.
On Nov. 15, police were granted a search warrant for an address on Collier Street and for a vehicle. And at around 1:25 p.m., police arrested the suspect.
Police located a loaded 45-calibre handgun, along with crack cocaine, heroin laced with fentanyl and a large quantity of currency believed to be the proceeds of drug sales. The man was found to be already bound by an indefinite firearms prohibition as a result of previous criminal convictions.
Kenneth McCalla has been charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a firearm in careless manner, unauthorized possession of a restricted firearm, possession of a restricted firearm knowingly unauthorized and two counts of possession of firearm or ammunition contrary to prohibition.
In all, police seized cocaine and heroin laced with fentanyl with an estimated street value of $2,750, along with $3,450 in currency believed to be the proceeds of drugs sales and a loaded 45calibre handgun with numerous rounds of ammunition.