Almost $50 million in cocaine found hidden in trucks crossing into Canada from U.S., police say
A cross-border drug smuggling network using commercial truck drivers to haul large loads of cocaine across the border from the United States into Canada has been revealed by police in southern Ontario, leading to the arrest of nine men and the seizure of 479 kilograms of bulk cocaine bricks.
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Of the nine arrested, six have since been released on bail while three are still awaiting bail hearings after what Peel Regional Police described Tuesday as the largest drug bust in the police service's history.
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The importations were destined for Peel Region, located to the west and northwest of Toronto and encompassing the cities of Mississauga and Brampton and the town of Caledon. It is a large commercial trucking and distribution point, and home to the Toronto Pearson International Airport.
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'Here in Peel, we have the largest logistics hub outside of Los Angeles, and what that means is that vulnerabilities in logistic systems can be exploited by criminal networks to their advantage,' said Peel's Chief of Police Nishan Duraiappah.
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The Peel probe, in collaboration with other Canadian and American agencies, identified commercial trucking companies and storage facilities connected to the smuggling operation, he said.
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'This represents a seismic blow to transnational organized crime … these drugs came from south of the border and were destined right here in Peel and the greater Toronto area and other communities in Canada. And what they do is represent secondary and tertiary criminal acts, vulnerabilities and harm that damage our communities right across Ontario and beyond.'
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The arrests and seizures, called Project Pelican, follow recent similar arrests, indictments and seizures in the United States of several American, Canadian and Mexican citizens who were using commercial transport trucks to smuggle tonnes of cocaine into Ontario and Montreal. The U.S. cases linked Los Angeles to Brampton through trucking operations.
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