Police show off cash, cars & jewellery seizure
Siobhan Morris, 610 CKTB News
5/24/2012
Police are revealing a little more about raids tied to the region's biggest ever seizure of cocaine.
In February, police found 110kg of cocaine worth $30-million in St. Catharines.
Brothers Frank & Angelo Alessio were charged.
"Project Ink" didn't stop there. At a news conference Thursday, Acting Chief of Niagara Regional Police Chief Joe Matthews revealed police were given the OK for wire taps in February too.
Through the taps & other investigative tactics, police were able to link the cocaine to California in Mexico. More than 150 officers have been part of Project Ink from the OPP, RCMP, York Regional Police, Canada Border Services Agency & Homeland Security.
Wednesday 4 more people were charged in the case. Among them, Nick Nero, a man police alleged is a king pin of Niagara's drug trade.
Nero faces charges of possession, conspiracy & obstructing justice.
Tawnya & Jordyn DelBen Fletcher of Niagara-on-the-Lake & Courtney Bryan of Toronto are charged too & the Alessio brothers have been hit with new charges.
One of the lead investigators on the case, Detective Sergeant Todd Stevenson tells 610 CKTB News the items seized during this week's raids show off Nero's lavish lifestyle & "indicate he is a major, major drug dealer".
Police showed off the haul on a guarded table at their downtown St. Catharines headquarters. Cops recovered:
-$1-million in Canadian & US cash
-2 luxury cars worth over $440 000
-2 condos in Niagara-on-the-Lake & Toronto's swanky Yorkville neighbourhood
-$2-million in jewellery, including 9 watches & a diamond ring which alone has a value of $850 000.
Stevenson says more cars could still be taken. The Detective Sergeant says the drug ring is bigger than the 6 people charged so far, but they're the police will be able to hold responsible.