Based on coverage from CBC, CBC, Global News, and Winnipeg Free Press.
Winnipeg police say they have pulled more than $37.2 million worth of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl out of circulation in what they’re calling the biggest drug bust in Manitoba history. The operation, Project Puma, led to 33 arrests and 174 charges, along with seizures of cash, guns, vehicles and a huge haul of illegal cigarettes.
Police and provincial officials framed it as a major hit to organized crime networks that stretch well beyond Manitoba, with alleged links to groups like the Hells Angels, the Wolfpack Alliance and Mexican cartels.
Project Puma drug bust details in Winnipeg
Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) says Project Puma began in May 2024 after investigators learned large quantities of meth, cocaine and fentanyl were being imported into Winnipeg, then distributed across Manitoba and into northwestern Ontario.
At a Wednesday news conference, police said multiple trafficking “cells” were operating under a single umbrella organization. Insp. Josh Ewatski of WPS organized crime said criminal networks “collaborate with rivals,” work across jurisdictions, and use complex supply chains, which is why the investigation leaned heavily on inter-agency coordination and covert operations, including controlled drug buys.
Cocaine, meth and fentanyl seized in Manitoba
Police say they seized 339 kilograms of methamphetamine, 175 kg of cocaine, and 11.25 kg of fentanyl, plus some unidentified pills. WPS put the overall street value at more than $37.2 million.
Beyond drugs, police reported seizing about $825,000 in cash and 1.35 million illegal cigarettes. Ewatski said that cigarette volume would have meant roughly $400,000 in unpaid taxes if sold. On firearms, the numbers line up across reports as 14 total guns, described as 12 handguns plus a shotgun and a carbine.
Police also said seven vehicles were seized.
Alleged ties to Hells Angels and cartels
WPS and Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said some of those arrested are associated with what police described as the upper levels of organized crime in Canada, including the Hells Angels, the Wolfpack Alliance, and Mexican cartels.
Police were careful about specifics. Ewatski told reporters many of the charges are still before the courts, so he could not go deep on particular groups. Still, the overarching claim from investigators is that the network had national and international connections and significant influence over drug distribution in Manitoba and beyond.
Deputy Chief Cam Mackid linked the drug trade to a wider web of harm: homicides, gun and gang violence, exploitation, property crime, and retail theft, plus added strain on health care, social services and the justice system.
How drugs moved through Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta
Project Puma was interprovincial by design. Police said drugs were brought into Canada from the U.S. using commercial vehicles, then warehoused in Ontario and Alberta before moving into Manitoba.
From there, investigators allege shipments moved by mail or courier, commercial transport, and private vehicles with hidden compartments. CBC reporting, based on court documents and sentencing hearings, adds detail on one alleged method: cocaine and cash moving through the mail tied to a shipping business in Winnipeg.
Ontario Provincial Police Acting Det. Supt. Andy Bradford said arrests were made in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area, including Brantford, and in Kenora, near the Manitoba border.
Court cases show “fronts” and “fall guys”
CBC’s review of court records highlights three examples that put some colour on how this network allegedly worked:
- Thomas Barnecki, 45, was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to offences including possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, tied to Project Puma. Court heard police found two kilograms of cocaine, four handguns and ammunition in a stash suite when he was arrested Jan. 8, 2025.
- Clinton Netemegesic received a 16-year sentence for trafficking fentanyl (and 12 years for cocaine, served concurrently), after prosecutors described a hotel-parking-lot handoff in Headingley involving five kilograms of fentanyl and 60 kilograms of meth, allegedly supplied by Chelsea Mageau, 35, of Edmonton.
- Tongun Tongun, a 23-year-old University of Manitoba student, was sentenced to eight years after police found 50 kilograms of cocaine in his vehicle. A Crown prosecutor described him in court as looking like a “fall guy.”
Police said seven people have pleaded guilty so far, with sentences ranging from three to 16 years.
WPS also said two Brantford, Ontario men, Randy Chao and Tyler DeFelice, are wanted on conspiracy-related charges connected to Project Puma.
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