Drug Enforcement Unit – Investigations: R22-12490 and R22-22396

Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) members have made arrests in two unrelated fentanyl trafficking investigations.

In mid-March 2022, the DEU began targeting a fentanyl dial-a-dealer operation run by one individual and supplied by another. During the month-long investigation, detectives obtained evidence that the drug fentanyl was being trafficked and seized ten individual points of fentanyl (1 gram, with an estimated street value of $400).

On April 20, 2022, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 400 block of Flora Avenue. A number of items were seized, including the following:

- A sawed-off double-barrel shotgun
- A sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun
- Various types of ammunition
- Drug packaging materials
- A digital scale contaminated with a substance
- Two mobile phones

The following items were seized from one suspect:

- A mobile phone
- $120 in Canadian currency

Daniel James Stack, a 36-year-old male of Baldur, Manitoba, has been charged with:

- Traffic in Scheduled Substance – Fentanyl (x2)
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Firearm Knowing Serial Number has been Tampered With (x2)
- Store Firearm or Restricted Weapon Contrary to Regulations (x2)
- Possession of Proceeds of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000
- Fail to Comply with Condition of Undertaking (x8)

Raymond Stanley Stack, a 39-year-old male of Winnipeg, has been charged with:

- Possession of a Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized (x2)
- Possession of Firearm, Restricted/Prohibited Weapon or Ammunition Contrary to Prohibition Order (x4)
- Possession of a Firearm Knowing Serial Number has been Tampered With (x2)
- Store Firearm or Restricted Weapon Contrary to Regulations (x2)
- Fail to Comply with Probation Order (x2)

Both were detained in custody.

Venie Muriel Rintoul, a 50-year-old female of Winnipeg, has been charged with:

- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (x2)
- Possession of a Firearm Knowing Serial Number has been Tampered With (x2)
- Store Firearm or Restricted Weapon Contrary to Regulations (x2)

She was released on an Undertaking (as mandated by the Criminal Code) and has since been formally charged.

In early June 2022, the DEU began targeting another fentanyl dial-a-dealer operation. During the three-week investigation, detectives again obtained evidence that fentanyl was being trafficked.

On June 20, 2022, a male suspect was arrested during an unrelated traffic stop near Ellice Avenue and Beverley Street. A knife was recovered from the vehicle, and a search of the suspect resulted in the seizure of:

- 57.04 grams of fentanyl
- $70 in Canadian currency

DEU investigators subsequently executed two search warrants – one for the vehicle and another at a residence in the 500 block of McDermot Avenue. A number of items were seized, including the following:

- 518.85 grams of fentanyl
- $26,760 in Canadian currency
- Drug packaging materials
- A digital scale contaminated with a substance
- Seven mobile phones

(A total fentanyl seizure of 575.89 grams, with an estimated street value sold at the single-dose amount of .10 gram, otherwise known as a "point" for $40.00 each = $230,356)

Yonata Jonathon Besewer, a 37-year-old male of Winnipeg, has been charged with:

- Possession of a Scheduled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking – Fentanyl
- Traffic in Scheduled Substance – Fentanyl
- Possession of a Weapon
- Possession of Proceeds of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000
- Fail to Comply with Condition of Undertaking (x2)

He was detained in custody.

Testing has since confirmed that the seized fentanyl contains the presence of carfentanil and benzodiazepine.

Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Benzodiazepine is a tranquillizer that does not respond to naloxone. If someone overdoses from taking benzodiazepine, it is much harder to reverse the effects – and the risks are even more significant when the benzodiazepine is mixed with opioids.

As part of ongoing education efforts, the Winnipeg Police Service wishes to remind those who illicitly use drugs that what they are taking may contain dangerous substances such as unsafe cutting agents or other narcotics. These substances may sometimes lead to severe harm or death.

The Winnipeg Police Service encourages anyone who experiences or witnesses a drug overdose to contact 911 immediately. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act provides some legal protection for people who seek emergency help for an overdose and anyone at the scene when help arrives. For detailed information on the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, please visit Health Canada's website at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/problematic-prescription-drug-use/opioids/about-good-samaritan-drug-overdose-act.html

To reduce the risk of an overdose, never use drugs alone and always carry naloxone if opioids may be present. For more information on where you can find naloxone, please visit Street Connections' website at http://streetconnections.ca/content.php?navigation_id=2294

Anyone with information regarding drug trafficking is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted online at https://www.winnipegcrimestoppers.org/

For addictions and treatment resources, please see the below links:

- Addictions Foundation of Manitoba: https://afm.mb.ca/
- Street Connections: http://www.streetconnections.ca/