Police say they are confident that they have made “a dent” in the region’s drug trade with the arrest of 27 people who are allegedly members of a “sophisticated” trafficking network.
Police in Toronto and York Region began a joint investigation into the drug trafficking network early in 2016 dubbed Project Beyond.
According to Supt. Gord Sneddon, the organization had been working “primarily in Ontario” but also had a “range of influence in the U.S.,” particularly in New York State.
Sneddon would not reveal where the arrests took place or when they occurred but said that police seized 300 kilograms of drugs, more than $2.3 million in U.S. and Canadian currency and a number of weapons during the execution of search warrants.
The drugs that were seized included 80 kilograms of cocaine, 101 kilograms of Ketamine, 65 kilograms of Marijuana, 24 kilograms of MDMA, 3.3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and eight kilograms of liquid opium. Police also seized 101 kilograms of cocaine cutting agents.
The estimated street value of the drugs is in excess of $14 million.
The weapons seized, meanwhile, included a TEC-9 submachine gun with a silencer, an SKS rifle, two shotguns and a number of handguns.
“This is a very sophisticated organization and we are satisfied that we made a dent in the drug trade,” Sneddon told reporters at a press conference on Thursday morning. “We are not naïve enough to believe we made a very significant dent but we made a very significant dent in this particular criminal organization.”
Sneddon provided few details about the organization of the drug trafficking network but said that there is a “clear hierarchy in place.”
The group, however, is not divided along ethnic or geographic lines, Sneddon said.
“The one common denominator here is the desire to make money from the misery of other people,” he told reporters.
Process underway to seize assets
The 27 people arrested as part of the probe will face a number of drug and criminal organization related charges, according to Sneddon.
Efforts are also underway to seize $3.3 million in property from some of the accused, including bank accounts, watches and condominiums
As well, Sneddon said that investigators are looking into whether any of the guns that were seized were used in unsolved shootings.
“These firearms are only built for one purpose and that is killing people,” he said.
Police have identified 40-year-old Kevin Er, of Richmond Hill, as the alleged ringleader of the criminal organization. Er is facing a total of 16 criminal charges.
