Nearly $8M worth of cocaine seized in TPS drug trafficking investigation
Toronto police say millions of dollars worth of cocaine was seized from residences in Toronto following a months-long drug investigation dubbed “Project Corredor.”
In all, 61 kilograms of cocaine — which police estimate to be worth $7.9 million — was found.
“It is rare to seize this quantity of cocaine in a single investigation,” said Insp. Don Belanger, who told reporters that work on Project Corredor began in Autumn 2019 in co-operation with the Canada Border Services Agency.
In a news release, Toronto police describe a “sophisticated” trafficking operation in which cocaine was moved across the U.S. border and into Ontario. It was then stashed in condos and houses in midtown, North York and Scarborough before ultimately making its way to street-level dealers.
“The drugs were coming across at land border crossings,” said Belanger, who declined to give details on exactly how the drugs were being smuggled out of concern that it would compromise ongoing parts of the investigation.
4 men arrested and charged
Four Toronto men, described by Belanger as “professional” cocaine dealers, were arrested as part of the investigation. All four were released and are due in court in mid-June.
“They’ve been released with conditions, in some cases house arrest,” said Belanger.
Police are still looking for two other suspects.
Police also seized four vehicles, upward of $200,000 Cdn, $14,000 US, 30,000 euros and a large amount of luxury jewellery, which Belanger described as the proceeds of crime.
“These are not street level or even mid-level drug dealers,” he said, adding that much of the cocaine found by police would “undoubtedly” been cut with fentanyl before being sold.
“The reality is, by the time the drug hits the streets, the user really doesn’t know what they’re taking, it’s ultimately a form of Russian roulette,” said Belanger.
CBC
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