Three of the five people charged with trafficking amid a $75,000 Walpole Island drug bust have been released from custody and a fourth has a bail hearing coming up soon.
Three of the five people charged with trafficking amid a $75,000 Walpole Island drug bust have been released from custody and a fourth has a bail hearing coming up soon.
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The five were arrested Feb. 15 during multiple traffic stops in the First Nation between Sarnia and Chatham as part of a joint police force drug trafficking probe, Lambton OPP said Tuesday. Officers found suspected fentanyl, cocaine, ammunition, and drug trafficking materials, police said.
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“Approximately 170 grams of suspected fentanyl and 30 grams of suspected cocaine,” Const. Jamie Bydeley, a Lambton OPP spokesperson, said in a follow-up email. “Total value of the seizure is estimated at over $75,000.”
Brittany Parker, 32, of St. Clair Township is charged with two counts of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, carelessly transporting ammunition, and breaching probation, police said.
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Zachariah Charron, a 24-year-old Windsor resident, and Connor Tamblyn, 30, from Chatham, are both facing one count of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking.
Two Wallaceburg residents also are charged, police said: Dorian Namink, 25, is facing counts of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking and resisting police. Ryan Langstaff, 34, is facing two counts of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possessing ammunition contrary to a court order, carelessly transporting ammunition, and breaching probation.
Langstaff and Parker were released by police with upcoming court dates while Charron, Namink and Tamblyn were held in custody for bail hearings, police said.
After spending one night in the Sarnia Jail, Namink was released the next day to his father on $1,000 lease with a curfew between 11 pm and 6 am He can’t contact Tamblyn or Charron – Langstaff and Parker weren’t mentioned – and is banned from weapons and from going back to Walpole Island.
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Tamblyn and Charron are both still in the Sarnia Jail. They appeared Wednesday in court through video feeds for an update on their cases. A bail hearing was set for Tamblyn for early next week while Charron, who said he only hired a lawyer Tuesday, had his case adjourned to Thursday.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
Lambton OPP said this was a joint investigation between its community street crimes unit and Walpole Island police. In a social media post on Feb. 13 – two days before the arrests – Lambton OPP said it continues to receive reports of opioid use and trafficking throughout Lambton County and Walpole Island.
“The OPP is committed to supporting safe and healthy communities, and will continue to focus on the apprehension of those who traffic and produce illegal drugs,” the post said.
The First Nation declared a state of emergency in July 2021 as it was rocked by a growing number of overdoses and deaths. Lambton OPP responded soon after with a year-long drug investigation code-named Project McNulty that brought nearly 150 charges against 30 suspects.
In a Feb. 16 Facebook post, the First Nation’s council reminded citizens the state of emergency is still in effect and a series of community input meetings are starting soon to address the war on drugs. The first meeting is Thursday from 5 pm to 8 pm at the sports complex.
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