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Historic cocaine bust in Ontario had ties to Mexican drug cartel, Toronto police say

Click to play video: '$83M worth of cocaine seized in major Toronto-area drug bust'
$83M worth of cocaine seized in major Toronto-area drug bust
WATCH: $83M worth of cocaine seized in major Toronto-area drug bust – Jan 21, 2025

Toronto police say they have seized the largest amount of cocaine in the service’s history and allege that the drugs had ties to a cartel in Mexico.

Police Chief Myron Demkiw told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that 835 kilograms of cocaine was confiscated, worth an estimated street value of around $83 million.

Demkiw alleges the “835 kilograms of cocaine that is alleged to have the hallmarks of coming from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.”

“We know that these drugs travelled all the way from Mexico over the United States southern border and then made their way here to Canada where we stopped and seized them,” Demkiw said.

Project Castillo — an investigation that began in August 2024 and was led by Toronto Police with the help of York Regional Police, CBSA and the RCMP — saw several search warrants executed across the Greater Toronto Area.

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Supt. Paul MacIntyre, with the organized crime enforcement unit, said at the press conference that the investigation began when someone allegedly tried to ship cocaine through a shipping company.

“At some point, we realized that an 18-wheeler was coming from Mexico through the United States up into Canada,” MacIntyre said. “When it crossed into Canada we asked the CBSA, the Mounties to stop it for us. When it was stopped, we seized 475 kilograms.”

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Around the same time, search warrants were being executed and arresting people in what MacIntyre said was being called “stash houses with considerable amounts of cocaine.”

MacIntyre said police arrested “what we would call some very high level distributors responsible for the distribution of this cocaine which would have went right across Canada we believe.”

“I don’t think this was their first time, but hopefully it’s their last time,” MacIntyre said.

MacIntyre said the cocaine seizure disrupted the supply and created a ripple effect.

Click to play video: 'Major drug bust sees 835 kilograms of cocaine seized in Toronto-area worth $83 million'
Major drug bust sees 835 kilograms of cocaine seized in Toronto-area worth $83 million

“Following this seizure, the street price of cocaine in Canada has increased by 20 per cent, signaling a direct impact on distribution networks,” MacIntyre said at the news conference.

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MacIntyre also said drug trafficking is “inseparably linked to gun violence and organized crime.”

Six people were arrested, including four Canadians and two Mexican nationals, police said. Charges include drug trafficking offences.

There are three arrest warrants for outstanding suspects — two from Mexico and one from Niagara Falls, Ont.

In response to a reporter question about U.S. president Donald Trump’s comments regarding the border and alleging drugs are coming from Canada, Demkiw said it highlights the need for effort and partnership across all law enforcements.

“Really highlights the partnership and integration of effort that exists across the law enforcement communities both here municipally, provincially, nationally and internationally with our American partners,” Demkiw continued. “We see time and again, today is a specific example, of what partnership and collaboration looks like to disrupt the international flow of illicit goods.”

Ontario’s solicitor general Michael Kerzner called the bust a “major blow to organized crime.”

“It’s just part of our overall effort to protect our borders, to stop the flow of illegal drugs and guns and prevent human trafficking,” Kerzner said. “Ontario is stepping up to bolster efforts to detect, to deter and prevent illegal activity along the border.”

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