Thirty-three people have been arrested and more than $37.2 million worth of cocaine, meth and fentanyl was seized in what Winnipeg police are calling the largest drug bust in Manitoba history.

Among those arrested are people associated with the upper echelon of organized crime in Canada, including the Hells Angels, Wolfpack Alliance and Mexican cartel, police allege.

Collectively, they are charged with 174 criminal offences related to drug trafficking, proceeds of crime and conspiracy, Winnipeg police said during a Wednesday news conference.

Investigators also seized 14 guns (12 handguns, one carbine and one shotgun), approximately $825,000 in cash and 1.35 million illegal cigarettes.

In all, more than 525 kilograms of controlled substances were seized, police say. Along with an undisclosed quantity of pills, marijuana and cannabis derivatives, police seized:

• 339 kilograms of methamphetamine (estimated street value of $17 million).
• 175 kilograms of cocaine (estimated street value of $17.5 million).
• 11.25 kilograms of fentanyl (estimated value of $2.7 million).

Police also took seven vehicles.

The interprovincial investigation, nicknamed Project Puma, was launched in May 2024 to target an organized network of people importing large quantities of drugs into Winnipeg, police said. The drugs were then distributed throughout Manitoba and into northwestern Ontario.

Multiple drug trafficking cells were operating under a single umbrella organization, according to police.

Winnipeg police Insp. Josh Ewatski said the drugs were imported from the U.S. inside commercial transport trucks, then warehoused primarily in Alberta and Ontario.

From there, the drugs were transported into Manitoba “through various methods, including mail and courier services, commercial transport vehicles, and private vehicles equipped with hidden compartments,” he said.

The bust of the network “sends a very clear message that organized crime will not operate unchecked in this province,” Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said at the news conference.

Homicides, gun and gang violence, exploitation, property crime, and retail theft are all directly linked to and affected by the drug trade, Winnipeg police Deputy Chief Cam Mackid said.

“You can follow the path of wreckage right down to the nuisance crimes — the car thefts, the broken windows and general social disorder,” he said, adding the effects extend to burdens on the health care, social services and justice systems.

“We all see the crippling impact of the drug trade on a daily basis,” he said, including on individuals in the form of addiction and overdoses.

“We see the devastation brought upon the families and loved ones. And we see neighbourhoods living in fear because they have the misfortune of living within the blast radius of the drug house down the street,” said Mackid.

Directly or indirectly, “the drug trade in our community impacts every single one of us,” he said.

“And this ecosystem of chaos is dependent on one thing: the constant supply and distribution of massive amounts of drugs into our community.”

The investigation included the collaboration of numerous agencies, Winnipeg police said, including the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), Ontario Provincial Police, and police agencies in Alberta and Toronto. Manitoba police services in Winkler, Brandon and Morden were also involved.