Stratford Police estimate drugs seized over the course of "Project Sapphire" have a value of over $266,000. (Photo provided by Stratford Police Service)
Midwestern

Five charged in months-long drug investigation

Stratford Police Service are sharing details following the conclusion of a months-long investigation that resulted in the recovery of an estimated $266,000 worth of illicit substances.

Police say the investigation into the trafficking of cocaine in Stratford and surrounding municipalities began in 2025, as the local Street Crime Unit partnered with Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario. The operation was called Project Sapphire.

Investigators executed search warrants in December of that year in St Marys, London and Woodstock, charging a 37-year-old man and 52-year-old woman with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

This month, the project concluded with two more warrants being executed in London and one in Stratford. As a result of the searches, police charged a 33-year-old man and 29-year-old woman with possession for the purpose of trafficking. They also charged a 32-year-old man with trafficking.

Stratford Police say the investigation resulted in the seizure of 2,473 grams of cocaine, 167 grams of methamphetamine, and 90 grams of crack cocaine.

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