News release
Antigonish-Guysborough Street Crime Enforcement Unit charges five people with drug trafficking offences
January 5, 2026
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Antigonish, Nova Scotia
From: Nova Scotia RCMP
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The Antigonish-Guysborough Street Crime Enforcement Unit (SCEU) has charged five people following a 12-month drug trafficking investigation named Project Homecoming.
In January 2025, RCMP began an investigation into a group was actively targeting young people to sell drugs to, prompting a coordinated investigation.
On May 29, after gathering intelligence that a 21-year-old man was arranging to sell a significant quantity of cocaine, the Antigonish-Guysborough SCEU – supported by the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit (PCISCEU), Antigonish County District RCMP, and the Criminal Intelligence Service Nova Scotia – safely arrested the suspect on Main St. in Antigonish. A search of the man led to the seizure of the illicit drug.
On September 11, Antigonish-Guysborough SCEU members, assisted by PCISCEU, the Port Hawkesbury Street Crime Enforcement Unit, Antigonish County District RCMP, and Guysborough County District RCMP, executed search warrants at residences in Antigonish County and Guysborough County. A 26-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman were safely arrested, and officers seized cocaine, ecstasy, and cash from the two homes.
In December, a 20-year-old man and a youth were arrested as a result of the investigation.
The following people have been charged in connection with Project Homecoming:
Ashtyn Jade MacEachern, 21, of Afton:
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (cocaine)
- Trafficking (cocaine) (two counts)
- Resist Arrest
Brydon Christopher MacEachern, 26, of Antigonish:
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (cocaine)
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (ecstasy)
- Trafficking (cocaine)
Virginia Leigh Gibbins, 28, of Antigonish:
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (cocaine)
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (ecstasy)
Jasiah James O’Hara, 20, of Havre Boucher:
- Trafficking (cocaine) (five counts)
A youth has also been charged with Trafficking (cocaine) and Trafficking (ecstasy).
“This investigation focused on traffickers who were supplying drugs directly to young people,” says Cst. Tyler Baird, Antigonish County District RCMP. “By identifying and targeting this network, we were able to significantly reduce the flow of harmful substances to young people in the community.”
The investigation remains ongoing, with additional charges anticipated; all individuals have been released on conditions and are scheduled to appear in Antigonish Provincial Court at later dates.
Nova Scotians are encouraged to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or local police to report crime, including the illegal sale of drugs, in their communities. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or using the P3 Tips app.
Note: The PCISCEU is made up of police officers from Pictou County District RCMP, Westville Police Service and Stellarton Police Service.
File #: 2023-1525151