(FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION, ON) – Four individuals are facing 45 Criminal Code (CC) and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) charges following a drug trafficking investigation on Fort William First Nation, including two residents of the Greater Toronto Area.
In the fall of 2025, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-led Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG), in cooperation with the Anishinabek Police Service, initiated an intelligence-led investigation into alleged drug trafficking activity on Fort William First Nation. With assistance from the Thunder Bay OPP, the OPP Emergency Response Team and the OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, a search warrant was executed on Fort William First Nation on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
Investigators seized the following items with approximate quantities:
· Loaded firearm equipped to be fully automatic
· 250 g suspected cocaine
· 195 g suspected fentanyl
· 115 oxycodone tablets
· $6,450 CAD
· Cell phones
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is over $106,000.
As a result, four people were arrested and charged.
Teddi-Lyn MADDOCK, age 34 of Fort William First Nation, was charged with:
- Possession of a firearm while prohibited, s 117.01(1) CC – three counts
- Possession of a loaded restricted firearm, s. 95(1) CC
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, s. 88 CC
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm, s. 91(1) CC
- Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, s. 92(1) CC
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited device, s. 91(2) CC
- Careless storage of a firearm, s. 86(1) CC
- Possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, s. 354(1)(a) CC
- Failure to comply with a release order, s. 145(5)(a) CC
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – fentanyl, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – oxycodone, s. 5(2) CDSA
Nouh SOUARE, age 26 of Toronto, was charged with:
- Possession of a loaded restricted firearm, s. 95(1) CC
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, s. 88 CC
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm, s. 91(1) CC
- Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, s. 92(1) CC
- Possession of a firearm while prohibited, s 117.01(1) CC
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited device, s. 91(2) CC
- Careless storage of a firearm, s. 86(1) CC
- Possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, s. 354(1)(a) CC
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – fentanyl, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – oxycodone, s. 5(2) CDSA
Brandon GONSALVES-HEWITT, age 22 of Scarborough, and David PELLETIER, age 30 of Fort William First Nation, were each charged with:
- Possession of a loaded restricted firearm, s. 95(1) CC
- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, s. 88 CC
- Unauthorized possession of a firearm, s. 91(1) CC
- Possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized, s. 92(1) CC
- Unauthorized possession of a prohibited device, s. 91(2) CC
- Careless storage of a firearm, s. 86(1) CC
- Possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000, s. 354(1)(a) CC
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – fentanyl, s. 5(2) CDSA
- Possession for the purpose of trafficking – oxycodone, s. 5(2) CDSA
The accused were remanded into custody and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Thunder Bay at a later date.
Anyone with any information about illegal firearms or the possession, manufacturing or trafficking of illicit drugs should contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.
The PGNG in the North West Region consists of members from the OPP, the Thunder Bay Police Service and the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
PGNG MANDATE
The OPP-led PGNG is dedicated to disrupting criminal street gang activity through intelligence-led, multijurisdictional drug trafficking investigations and reducing the number of illegal firearms in the province of Ontario. The PGNG is comprised of members from 20 police services in both Ontario and Quebec as well as the RCMP.