Three of the accused in the largest fentanyl bust ever seen in Sault Ste. Marie will now answer to a number of offences related to drug trafficking and the possession of property obtained by crime in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
According to court documents that are available to the public, Richard Brewster, Leyla Ibrahim and Tequar Jones were slapped with a federal indictment earlier this month after initially facing charges in the Ontario Court of Justice for their alleged roles in trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Sault Ste. Marie.
Approximately $470,000 worth of narcotics was seized by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in January 2023 while executing search warrants in the 600 block of MacDonald Avenue, including 700 grams of fentanyl — a record one-time seizure by police in the Sault. Stacks of cash totalling roughly $74,000 and a motor vehicle were also seized in the bust.
Five people were arrested as a result.
Another $620,000 in drugs was seized following searches in Oshawa and Whitby as part of Project Otter, a joint operation between Sault Police, Durham Regional Police Service and Thunder Bay Police Service that took more than $1 million in drugs off the streets in all.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused in the case are considered innocent unless proven guilty.
Brewster — a man with a lengthy and sordid history of drug dealing, carjacking and gang life as an alleged member of the Toronto Driftwood Crips — is also known in some circles as hip hop artist ‘Richie Stacks,’ whose songs can be found on both YouTube and Spotify.
The 42-year-old was originally arrested and charged by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service on November 4, 2022 for allegedly having a stolen car in his possession and being without a driver’s licence or car insurance. The pre-trial phase concerning the criminal charge of allegedly possessing a stolen vehicle is slated to begin in March of next year.
The two remaining accused in the Sault’s largest-ever fentanyl bust — Maurice Fidd and O’Shane Davis-Forbes, both of whom had been out on bail for similar trafficking-related charges in northeastern Ontario cities prior to their arrests in January — have not been indicted in Superior Court.
Court records indicate a pair of charges against Davis-Forbes for his alleged role for trafficking drugs in the Sault were withdrawn in September. Fidd, meanwhile, will continue to have his case heard in the Ontario Court of Justice, with a court appearance scheduled in Sault Ste. Marie next month.
But the trio of Brewster, Ibrahim and Jones will now have their cases heard in Superior Court, which is reserved for the most serious criminal offences in Ontario.
While all three face charges for possession and trafficking in the Sault, Brewster and Ibrahim are facing separate charges stemming from the alleged possession and trafficking of methamphetamine and possessing Canadian currency not exceeding $5,000 obtained through criminal activity in the City of Whitby.
Brewster has also been indicted for allegedly having a stolen vehicle in his possession during his time in Sault Ste. Marie.