London police have arrested two men after an armed robbery investigation turned into a sizeable drug bust.
Police say on February 4, a man loaned his vehicle to an acquaintance. Less than a week later, on February 10, the two parties reportedly met in a north London parking lot and the vehicle owner asked for his car back. In response, the acquaintance and another man "brandished handguns and left the parking lot in the man's vehicle," according to the London Police Service (LPS).
Officers were contacted about the incident and launched an armed robbery investigation.
Police say two suspects were located by members of the LPS Guns and Gangs Section, the Ontario Provincial Police Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad, and Emergency Response Unit on Monday. One man was arrested in the area of Egerton Street and Hackett Street, while the other was taken into custody after police executed a search warrant at a residence near Kiwanis Park Drive and Borden Street.
Almost $40,000 worth of pills and suspected cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine were seized as a result of the investigation, as well as two loaded firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, three digital scales, and $640 in Canadian currency.
A 23-year-old London man is charged with armed robbery, vehicle theft, unlicensed possession of a firearm, and multiple counts of possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking. A 22-year-old London man is facing many of the same charges.
"Both of these individuals were in breach of court-imposed conditions, including weapons prohibitions," an LPS spokesperson shared with London News Today.
The accused are scheduled to appear in a London courtroom on February 21.
Anyone with information that may assist police in this investigation is asked to call (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to remain anonymous.