Authorities in Canada have seized $83 million worth of cocaine linked to a notorious Mexican cartel, marking the largest haul of the drug in Toronto history, officials announced Tuesday.
More than 835 kilograms of cocaine are said to be linked to the Jalisco New Generation cartel, which the The Department of Justice has explained as “one of the most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations in the world.”
Officers found 475 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a truck and the rest were seized at stash houses, Toronto police said in a press release. Police said the truck and its cargo were part of a larger transnational drug trafficking operation that originated in Mexico.
The cocaine seized was part of an ongoing investigation called Project Castillo that began in August.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said Tuesday the cocaine was definitely ending up in other areas of Canada, from Newfoundland to British Columbia.
Kevin Masterman via the Toronto Police Service
“I can tell you that getting 835 kilograms of cocaine off our streets will make a huge difference for 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 other suspects – two Mexican nationals and a 60-year-old Canadian from Niagara Falls.
Jalisco quarter have produced and smuggled millions of doses of lethal fentanyl into the United States, often disguised as Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone. The pills cause approx 70,000 overdose deaths annually in the United States.
