Indo-Canadians nabbed for smuggling Rs 300 crore cocaine into Canada from US
Several Indo-Canadians were arrested by Canada's Peel Regional Police (PRP) on June 6 in connection with the seizure of 479 kg of cocaine worth CAD $50 million (approximately Rs 299.3 crore). A total of nine people, which included several individuals of Indian descent, were arrested while they were trying to smuggle cocaine into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), from the US. The drug bust, according to the police, is the largest one in the department's history.advertisementThe seizure marked the conclusion of PRP's Project Pelican, a year-long investigation launched in June 2024 that focused on a network of commercial truck drivers smuggling cocaine into Canada through US border crossings in Michigan, according to a statement issued by the police on Tuesday, June 10.The nine people were arrested following multiple raids and now face 35 criminal charges related to drug offences and firearms.
As of June 6, the nine accused who have been arrested are: Arvinder Powar (29), Manpreet Singh (44), Gurtej Singh (36), Karamjit Singh (36), Sartaj Singh (27), Shiv Onkar Singh (31), Sajgith Yogendrarajah (31), Tommy Huynh (27), and Philip Tep (39).The accused will soon be appearing for bail at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.FIRST MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH WAS ACHIEVED IN FEBRUARYCanada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted a commercial truck at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, which led to the seizure of 127 kg of cocaine concealed in the trailer and the arrest of the driver. According to Toronto-based tabloid newspaper, The Toronto Sun, the seizure was made on February 11.advertisementA second bust took place at the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, where authorities discovered an additional 50 kilograms of cocaine.Additional seizures were also made across the GTA in connection with commercial trucking by the Peel Reserve Police, some of which included individuals in possession of loaded firearms at the time of arrest, according to the statement.Following multiple raids in different jurisdictions in Ontario, the nine men were arrested and charged, reported The Toronto Sun.TWO SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIREARMS ALSO RECOVERED: PEEL REGIONAL POLICE"Altogether, PRP seized 479 kilograms of bricked cocaine, with an estimated street value of CAD 47.9 million. They also recovered two semi-automatic firearms," the PRP statement read.PRP Chief Nish Duraiappah said organised crime groups thrive by exploiting border vulnerabilities, which poses a significant risk to public safety."Organised crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety. However, we remain firmly committed to working with our partners to protect our communities and enhance safety in our region and beyond," Duraiappah said at a news conference held on Tuesday, Canada-based news channel, CBC, reported.Earlier this year, Toronto Police, during Project Castillo, intercepted 835 kg of cocaine worth an estimated $83 million on the streets that was destined for Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), according to a report in the Toronto Sun.advertisementAt a January news conference, Toronto Superintendent Paul MacIntyre, of the Organised Crime Enforcement Unit, said that the drugs originated in Mexico and travelled through the US via transport truck and were linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a Mexican crime syndicate.The smuggling of drugs from the US into Canada via trucks through land ports has been a persistent issue. To address that, the law enforcement agencies in Canada have launched several initiatives and ramped up their crackdown.Must Watch
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