Three men from Ontario and Quebec face charges following Thunder Bay drug bust

Ontario Provincial Police officers are standing outside of their cruiser in this . (File photo/CTV News)

Three people have been charged with drug trafficking offences 14 following raids of two residences in Thunder Bay.

In January, the Ontario Provincial Police’s Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team began investigating drug trafficking activity in Thunder Bay, police said in a news release Tuesday.

On March 5, OPP investigators with assistance from the Thunder Bay and Nishnawbe Aski Police Services executed search warrants at residences on Balmoral Street and Cumberland Street North in Thunder Bay.

Authorities seized approximately 90 grams of suspected crack cocaine, nine cell phones, a smartwatch, fake IDs, four digital scales, drug packaging materials and $5,100 in cash during the searches.

As a result of the joint investigation, a 32-year-old from Ottawa, a 31-year-old from Nepean and a 33-year-old from Lasalle, Que., have been charged with three counts of possession of an identity document and drug trafficking. Both accused from Ontario were also charged with possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

They were remanded into custody and are scheduled to appear in court in Thunder Bay on March 19. The Quebec accused was released is scheduled to appear in a Thunder Bay courtroom on April 10.

Police urge anyone with information about illegal firearms or the possession, manufacturing or trafficking of drugs to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.