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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US
Canadian investigators recently arrested nine men for using trucks to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Canada; while police in Arizona recovered a truckload carrying $1.6 million worth of stolen cargo; and freight theft cases in Illinois and Kentucky surged in April. Canadian authorities said Tuesday they have arrested nine men following the seizure of $47.9 million worth of bricked cocaine, the largest drug bust in Peel Regional Police history. The arrests follow a year-long international investigation into a transnational organized crime network smuggling drugs using tractor-trailers from the U.S. into the Toronto area, according to a news release. 'Thanks to the leadership of Peel Regional Police, and the support of national and international law enforcement agencies … a transnational criminal network is no longer operating or flooding our communities with illicit drugs from the United States,' Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement. 'Organized crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety.'Peel, located about 24 miles from Toronto, is considered the heart of the trucking industry in the area. It is in Ontario, a province in east-central Canada that borders the U.S. Peel investigators began looking into a cocaine smuggling operation in June 2024 that was using commercial vehicles to carry the drugs from the U.S. into Canada. Over the course of a six month investigation, Peel authorities linked multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites to the transnational smuggling operation. The nine men arrested in connection to the case are from the Ontario area. They face 35 criminal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offences. Two loaded semi-automatic handguns were also recovered, police said the accused men were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Canada. Supply chain risk management firm Overhaul recently worked with law enforcement to recover a full truckload of stolen electronics after the tractor-trailer carrying the load was taken from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The theft occurred when the shipment was fraudulently uplifted from the airport, Overhaul said in a news release. Instead of being delivered to its intended destination in Childress, Texas, the cargo was transported through New Mexico and eventually into Arizona. The tractor-trailer was located in Flagstaff, Arizona, where state troopers successfully initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, authorities discovered three individuals in the tractor, two of whom were identified as drivers. All three subjects were arrested at the scene. Further investigation revealed that two of the subjects were in the country illegally, Overhaul said. The trailer and its cargo, valued at $1.6 million, were recovered intact and returned to its owner. New data from GearTrack's Cargo Security Index and Verisk's CargoNet shows California, Texas, and Illinois accounted for 68% of cargo theft incidents in April, according to a news theft cases in Illinois during April were up 81% month-over-month, while cases in Kentucky skyrocketed 200% month-over-month. Cargo theft cases in Florida declined by 44% in April compared to March. Electronics, vehicles, and apparel were the top targets of cargo thieves – including a stolen shipment of bitcoin mining computers valued at $2.7 million discovered at the Los Angeles International Airport. 'Recent tariffs on imported vehicles and auto components may also be contributing to a rise in vehicle related thefts,' according to the Cargo Security Index. The post Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US appeared first on FreightWaves.
India Today
16 hours ago
- India Today
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 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 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 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 second bust took place at the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, where authorities discovered an additional 50 kilograms of 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 multiple raids in different jurisdictions in Ontario, the nine men were arrested and charged, reported The Toronto 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 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, 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 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 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 Watch
Indian Express
20 hours ago
- Indian Express
Canada Police claim record drug bust, seize 479 kg of drugs; 6 Punjabis among accused
In the largest drug seizure in its history, the police in Canada's Peel said they have dismantled a transnational cocaine trafficking ring that was smuggling bricks of the illicit drug into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) through commercial trucks crossing from the US. The Peel police arrested nine men, who now face 35 charges after nearly half a tonne of cocaine worth $47.9 million and two loaded semi-automatic firearms were seized from them. The accused — aged 27 to 44 and hailing from Mississauga, Brampton, Toronto, Caledon, Hamilton, Georgetown, and Cambridge — were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton. The arrested men have been identified Hao Tommy Huynh, 27, from Mississauga; Sajgith Yogendrarajah, 31, from Toronto; Manpreet Singh, 44, from Brampton; Philip Tep, 39, from Hamilton; Arvinder Powar, 29, from Brampton; Karamjit Singh and Gurtej Singh, both 36 and residents of Caledon, Sartaj Singh, 27, from Cambridge, and Georgetown resident Shiv Onkar Singh, 31. Codenamed Project Pelican, the investigation began in June 2024, and officers found out about a sophisticated operation exploiting commercial transport routes from the United States into Canada. With assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), US Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Peel police traced the syndicate across borders and cities. The police said that the first major breakthrough came on February 11, when a commercial truck crossing into Windsor, Ontario, from Michigan was intercepted at the Ambassador Bridge. CBSA officers found 127 kilogram of cocaine hidden in the trailer. A second seizure occurred at Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, uncovering 50 kg more. Subsequent raids across GTA linked to the same operation led to further seizures, including drugs and firearms. In total, police seized 479 kilograms of cocaine, much of it tightly packed into 'bricks', as well as two illegally loaded semi-automatic handguns. 'This seizure marks the largest drug seizure in the history of our service. 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,' said Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah. Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner lauded the takedown. 'Project Pelican is proof of what police can accomplish when they have the tools and resources needed to keep our communities safe. This historic seizure sends a clear message to organised crime: you will find no safe haven in Ontario.' Michael Prosia, Regional Director General, CBSA (Southern Ontario division), added, 'These significant seizures and arrests demonstrate the strength of our collaboration with law enforcement partners on both sides of the border. Together, we are committed to dismantling organised crime groups and keeping harmful drugs out of our communities.' The operation was supported through funding from the Ontario Government's Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy, and Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
Global News
02-06-2025
- Global News
Toronto mother denied bail for attempted murder, after allegedly throwing son off balcony
A Toronto mother who allegedly threw her four-year-old son off a 10th-floor balcony from a downtown condominium building three weeks ago has been denied bail. Sitting in a video booth at the Vanier Institute for Women, wearing a green prison sweatsuit, the woman, whose identity is covered by a publication ban to protect the identity of the child, put her head in her hands as Justice of the Peace Paul Yeung told the accused she would not be released. The decision, which was read out in the Ontario Court of Justice on Monday, followed a lengthy special bail hearing over a number of days last week in which the defence proposed a plan for release. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy On May 12th, around 10 p.m., police were called to a condo building on Front Street east of Spadina Avenue, after a child was located on the ground. Tenants told Global News that the child had been found in the bushes near the front entrance of the building. The child was taken to the Hospital for Sick Children with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Story continues below advertisement The woman was charged with attempted murder, administering a noxious substance, namely tylenol and/or acetaminophen and alcohol, to endanger life, failing to provide the necessaries of life for a child under 16, and aggravated assault. Court documents obtained by Global News find the woman, who turned 34 last week while in custody, had previously been charged with mischief and two counts of assault in relation to the child's father in August 2023. Those charges are still before the court. The justice of the peace's reasons for denying bail to the woman are covered under a publication ban. The woman returns to court later this month and has been ordered to have no contact with the child or the child's father while awaiting trial.
Toronto Sun
19-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Windsor motorist sentenced for 'staggering' level of alcohol intoxication
The exterior of the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor is shown on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Photo by Dan Janisse / Windsor Star A Windsor motorist was so severely drunk that police who arrested him skipped the standard second blood alcohol test and instead had him rushed to hospital. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A local judge praised Windsor police for ignoring the required second sample-taking and 'immediately calling an ambulance to bring him to hospital.' The intoxicated man registered more than five times the legal limit of alcohol to be on the road — and he had more than enough booze in his system to kill him, according to those in the medical field. Ontario Court Justice Scott Pratt, in a written sentencing decision released May 12, described as 'staggering' the amount of alcohol in the motorist's body. For more accurate and reliable results — and to strengthen any case for the prosecution in court — the Criminal Code's impaired driving laws require two breath samples be taken before any charges are laid. But Windsor police chose an immediate hospital call rather than the follow-up test by an intoxilyzer technician. For that decision, officers should 'be commended for … putting the offender's health ahead of their investigation,' said Pratt, adding it was the highest reading he'd seen in 25 years as a lawyer and judge. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The motorist police arrested in the 3400 block of McKay Avenue on the afternoon of June 28, 2023, had an initial blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reading of 447 mg alcohol/100 ml blood. According to experts in alcoholism at the Cleveland Clinic, any BAC over 0.40 per cent (400 mg alcohol/100 ml blood) is potentially fatal. Police were dispatched to that south Windsor location in response to a resident's call that the driver of a Ford Escape was standing next to his vehicle on the residential street, urinating on the ground. When officers arrived, he was sitting in the vehicle, with one foot outside the open door and a hand on the steering wheel. According to facts introduced in court, officers tried to speak to the man but 'to no avail. The offender was struggling to speak.' His breath smelled of alcohol, his eyes were glazed 'and he did not appear to have control over his body.' When he ignored police demands and tried to fully enter his vehicle, he was placed under arrest. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The defence had asked the judge to grant a discharge which would have left the first-time offender, who had pleaded guilty to impaired operation and described a sober lifestyle ever since that day, without a criminal record. A pre-sentence report prepared by a probation officer — which the judge said was 'largely positive' — described an individual with 'certain mental health challenges,' including depression, bipolar disorder and ADHD, who began drinking alcohol at age 12. 'At his worst, he was consuming 60 ounces of vodka per day.' Polite, co-operative and self-employed, the offender was described as being sober since the October after his arrest and that he had completed a residential rehab program and was willing to engage in further addiction counselling. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The judge described as 'truly remarkable' the offender's nearly 600 days of sobriety, and acknowledged his supportive family. Justice Pratt also noted the offender, since his arrest, has referred three others to rehabilitation services. 'Paying it forward in this way shows the offender understands the nature of the problem addiction poses, and wants to help others. That's outstanding,' said the judge. But a 'clear' aggravating factor, Pratt added, was the high level of intoxication, as well as the circumstances surrounding the arrest, with the offence occurring in mid-afternoon on a street filled with homes and near schools and a park. 'He was a grave danger to all users of the roads that day. His conduct must be denounced and deterred clearly and unequivocally,' the judge said, adding a discharge would not be in the public's interest. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Pratt handed the offender a $2,000 fine and placed him on 12 months probation. He is also prohibited from operating any motor vehicle for a year. While acknowledging that, 'at the time of the offence, he was in the grips of a powerful addiction,' and that a criminal record could impact future employment and travel freedom, the judge said a criminal conviction 'is required in these circumstances.' But having broken that grip of addiction, Pratt said the offender 'should be proud of how far he's come. By leaving alcohol behind he has almost certainly added years to his life and made that life far, far better.' dschmidt@
