Authorities in Canada have seized $83 million worth of cocaine linked to a notorious Mexican cartel, representing the largest drug shipment in Toronto’s history, officials announced Tuesday.
Over 835 kilograms of cocaine is allegedly linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which The Ministry of Justice described as “one of the world’s most violent and prolific drug-trafficking organizations.”
Officers found 475 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a truck and the rest was seized in warehouses, Toronto police said. news. Police said the truck and its cargo were part of a larger transnational drug-trafficking operation that began in Mexico.
The seized cocaine was part of an ongoing investigation called Project Castillo that began in August.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said Tuesday the cocaine must have ended up in other Canadian regions, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Kevin Masterman via the Toronto Police Service
“I can tell you that removing 835 kilograms of cocaine from our streets will make a huge difference to the well-being of our communities,” Demkiw said.
Officers arrested six people in the investigation, including two Mexican nationals who entered Canada legally and four Canadians
Arrest warrants have been issued for three more suspects – two Mexican nationals and a 60-year-old Canadian from Niagara Falls.
The Jalisco cartel produced millions of doses of the deadly fentanyl and smuggled it into the United States, often disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone. Tablets cause eye 70,000 died from overdose per year in the United States.
