DIGS Unit delivers results in Windsor’s fight against drugs and guns
WPS TEAM SPOTLIGHT
DIGS Unit delivers results in Windsor’s fight against drugs and guns
In the early hours of December 21, 2024, a Chevrolet Malibu travelled along Highway 401 toward Windsor. Behind the wheel was 26-year-old Keith Florence, returning from a trip to Toronto. What he didn’t know was that the Windsor Police Drugs and Guns (DIGS) Unit was watching – and had been for months.
As Florence crossed into city limits, members of the DIGS Unit, supported by the Emergency Services Unit, moved in and made the arrest. The takedown marked the culmination of a months-long investigation into a sophisticated drug trafficking network with links to the Greater Toronto Area.
The operation, dubbed Project Kraken, resulted in the seizure of nearly 2 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of methamphetamine, and more than 500 grams of fentanyl, along with cash, ammunition, scales, and packaging materials. The estimated street value of the drugs exceeded $400,000.
Measured success in the fight against drugs and guns
Project Kraken is just one example of the high-impact work led by the DIGS Unit – a specialized team focused on disrupting drug networks, taking illegal firearms off the streets, and making Windsor safer. From covert surveillance operations to high-risk takedowns, the team often works in the shadows but delivers results that are felt citywide and beyond.
Since January 2023, the DIGS Unit has seized:
• 17,513 grams of fentanyl
• 16,149 grams of cocaine
• 10,085 grams of crystal methamphetamine
• 1,763 grams of crack cocaine
• 8,184 tablets of oxycodone, Percocet and other opioids
• 218 crime-related firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition
Many DIGS investigations involve coordination with partner agencies, including Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
“The DIGS Unit continues to deliver exceptional results,” said Deputy Chief of Operations Jason Crowley. “Their focused, intelligence-driven approach targets the most serious threats to community safety: illegal drugs and firearms. Windsor is safer because of their tireless work.”
“They don’t just take drugs and guns off our streets; they proactively identify the players, gather intelligence, and dismantle the criminal networks behind them,” said Inspector of Investigative Support David DeLuca.
Anyone with information regarding drug or firearm-related crime is asked to contact the DIGS Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4361 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS).