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.
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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.
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.
“I can tell you that getting 835 kilograms of cocaine off of our streets will make a huge difference for the wellbeing of our communities,” Demkiw said.
Supt. Paul MacIntyre, with the organized crime enforcement unit, said the cocaine seizure disrupted the supply and created a ripple effect.
“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.
MacIntyre also said drug trafficking is “inseparably linked to gun violence and organized crime.”
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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