In October 2022, the RCMP Manitoba Organized Crime Unit (MOCU) launched an investigation called Project DOOM based on information received from Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) about suspicious activity in Winnipeg casinos.
It was determined that Mohammad Riyadul Hoque, 30, from Winnipeg, was supplying T3s, Percocet's, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to the remote First Nation communities of Red Sucker Lake, Garden Hill, Island Lake, and St. Theresa Point in Manitoba. There were also connections to North Spirit Lake in Ontario, as well as the Winnipeg area. The cash proceeds of these illicit drug sales were then used at casinos to try to hide the connection to criminal activity.
When arrested in Winnipeg on September 19, 2023, Hoque was charged with Trafficking Fentanyl, Trafficking Cocaine, Money Laundering, and Possession of the Proceeds of Crime.
Subsequent to arrest, police executed a warrant to search at Hoque's residence and as a result seized various drugs and cash. In total, Project DOOM seized two vehicles, 498 grams of crack cocaine, 882 counterfeit OxyContin tablets (fentanyl), 241 Percocet tablets, 26 gabapentin tablets, and 348 unknown tablets.
RCMP MOCU worked closely with MBLL, the Winnipeg Police Service, and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) throughout this investigation.
"The amount of illicit drugs entering northern Manitoba communities was of great concern during this investigation," said Inspector Tim Arseneault of RCMP Major Crime Services. "The cooperation of all agencies involved helped short circuit this supply chain and potentially save lives in these communities."