Police tape marks a crime scene in this file photo.JOHN LEHMANN
Ottawa's police chief says an alleged drug ring in the national capital posed safety concerns in Ottawa and across the country.
Police say nine men are facing about 75 charges arising from Project Anarchy – a two-year joint investigation by Ottawa police, OPP and the RCMP.
Officers swooped down on nine locations across Ottawa on Wednesday, and seized 24.5 kilograms of cocaine, 10 vehicles, and several firearms over the course of the investigation.
Police say the objective of the Project Anarchy was to dismantle the drug trafficking network in order to disrupt the distribution of cocaine in Ottawa.
It was also meant to prevent further acts of violence related to the network's activities in the city and elsewhere, but police were not releasing information about what other centres were part of the investigation.
Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau says dismantling the Ottawa-based network had been identified as a priority by his force.