House arrest for man who acted as courier in cannabis operation

A St. Catharines man became a courier in a multimillion-dollar cannabis operation in order to pay for his children’s post-secondary education, court heard Thursday.

Camil Audet, 47, pleaded guilty in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of distribution of illicit cannabis. He received a 90-day conditional sentence, the first six months of which will be served under house arrest.

Audet was among 17 people arrested in 2020 in connection to a lengthy police investigation dubbed Project Woolwich, which led to the seizure of almost $3 million in cannabis.

The Ontario Provincial Police-led investigation determined large amounts of cannabis authorized for medical purposes were being diverted to the underground market.

According to federal prosecutor Sam Tsai, crates of cannabis were being shipped from British Columbia to Ontario and then exported to the United States.

Various production and storage sites were identified in Ontario, including a greenhouse in Jordan and a “stash house” on Niagara Stone Road in Niagaraon-the-Lake.

Audet was arrested after police followed a truck from the “stash house” to Trenton, Ont. Six hockey bags stuffed with more than 90 kilograms of cannabis were located inside the vehicle.

His lawyer said her client, who had no previous criminal record, played a minor role in the operation.

“At the time he made that decision, he was facing financial pressures relating to the cost of educating four kids who were coming up on university and college needs.”