Five Chatham residents face drug and theft charges following an investigation by Chatham-Kent police that began in mid-August.
It began with police looking into a string of thefts that targeted commemorative plaques throughout the municipality and ended with the arrests and the seizure of about $24,000 in fentanyl.
Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 2, police executed five search warrants at three residences, a trailer and a vehicle in Chatham. They took place on Lorne Avenue, Wellington Street East and Copperfield Crescent.
The first raid took place Aug. 20 on Lorne Avenue. As a result, a 47-year-old man is charged with possession of ammunition contrary to a prohibition order, as well as three counts each of possession of stolen property and theft.
A week later, police used two more search warrants, one on a residence and another on a trailer on Wellington Street East. Here, a 39-year-old man was charged with theft, possession of stolen property and failing to comply with a probation order.
And on Sept. 2, officers executed two more warrants – on a vehicle and a residence on Copperfield Crescent. They found 121 grams of fentanyl, drug trafficking paraphernalia, cash, one of the stolen plaques, and fragments of others, police say.
Two people, a man, 28, and a woman, 36, are charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of stolen property.
Another, a 35-year-old man is charged with theft and two counts of possession of stolen property.
The investigation remains ongoing, as investigators continue to follow evidence obtained through the execution of the search warrants. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Chatham-Kent Police Service. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Give us the names. These people do not deserve to remain anonymous. They’ve proven they cannot live in society without committing a crime. Show their pictures and names and put them in prison for a very long time
Everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty. Plus, The Chatham Voice does not follow the accused through the court system, so we do not keep track when charges are reduced or dropped. And on top of that, the police do not generally release the names of those charged.