Thunder Bay kidnapping case tied to drug trade: police chief

The recent alleged abduction of a teenager on Thunder Bay's north side underscores the threat of the lucrative drug trade here, and the groups from outside the city trying to "set up shop," says the city's police chief.

J.P. Levesque spoke about the issues police are facing, after the service announced on Friday the arrest of a third man from Ottawa in connection with the reported kidnapping.

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The 28 year-old, and two other 22 year-old men from the nation's capital face a variety of charges including kidnapping and assault. A 23 year-old man from Thunder Bay also faces charges of kidnapping and extortion.

"They recognize that the addiction rates here in Thunder Bay and in northwestern Ontario are the highest in Canada," he said of the groups trying to establish a foothold here. "So it presents an opportunity for these people."

"For a lack of a better phrase, they're being entrepreneurs."

Police have been monitoring a group from Ottawa for a number of years now, Levesque said, adding that a number of members have been arrested in the city for drug offences in the past. He added that another group from Toronto is also being observed.

Potential for 'turf war'

There is the potential for these conflicting interests to clash in the city, Levesque said.

"Our concern is that they end up in a turf war here in Thunder Bay," he said, adding that "those kinds of things don't end well."

"It puts the public at risk so we're concerned about our officers' safety, we're concerned about public safety and we're doing our best to keep a lid on anything of that nature."

Our concern is that they end up in a turf war here in Thunder Bay- Police Chief J.P. Levesque

The level of violence that accompanies drug trade-related crime is also worrying, Levesque said, adding that people operating in the city from elsewhere will often bring weapons with them, not commonly found in Thunder Bay.

Police said they seized a .357-calibre Magnum handgun and ammunition when they arrested the 28 year-old Ottawa man in relation to the alleged kidnapping.

Reported kidnapping 'disturbing'

Levesque confirmed that abduction cases in the city are "very rare" and that he was "a little taken aback," when he was first notified.

"It's disturbing," he continued. "It is something that I firmly believe that if our officers hadn't had done the hard work and been as dedicated as they were, things would have ended very differently for this young man."

Police reported that the 17 year-old was abducted from a home on Tupper Street on August 13. According to police, he had been held and assaulted at another residence on Simpson Street until August 15, when officers saw him being taken from a pickup truck.

According to police all four men charged in the case were arrested on August 15.