19 people arrested in Canada’s Ontario province where authorities seized nearly 1.7 tonnes of narcotics with an estimated value of over $97 million. File
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Nineteen people, most of them believed to be of Indian-origin, were arrested in one of the largest-ever drug busts in Canada’s Ontario province in which authorities seized nearly 1.7 tonnes of narcotics with an estimated value of over $97 million.
An intelligence-led cross-border investigation, codenamed Project Bay, dismantled an alleged drug trafficking network that used commercial transport routes to move narcotics into Canada, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in a press statement.
Police said 19 people have been arrested, while two remain at large.
Many of the accused are truck drivers allegedly recruited to transport illicit consignments across the Canada-U.S. border.
Among those arrested were Gagandip Thindal, 27, Simranjit Singh, 32, Kanwarpal Kular, 32, Jatinderpal Singh, 39, Jasvinder Sohi, 55, Tejwinder Sandhu, 29, Harjwinder Sandhu, 33, Haninderpal Grewal, 34, Tarminder Singh, 19, Avtar Sahota, 54, Gundeep Tariwal, 32, Mehakpreet Singh, 24, and Karandeep Singh, 27.
According to the OPP, the investigation began in January 2025 after the Windsor Police Service launched a probe into drug trafficking.
The Canada Border Services Agency joined the investigation a month later, with the probe eventually expanding to include the OPP and several other law enforcement agencies.
According to investigators, the network operated through a broker-style model within the commercial transportation sector, using established logistics links to arrange drivers to knowingly transport illicit consignments concealed within legitimate supply chains across the international border.
Police executed 22 search warrants between June 25 and July 20 at residences and businesses in Windsor, Corunna, LaSalle, Brampton, Kleinburg, Markham and Caledon.
Authorities seized about 973 kg of cocaine, 660 kg of methamphetamine, 49 kg of opium, 230 oxycodone tablets, 17 firearms, about 80,000 Canadian dollars and $10,000 in cash, high-end jewellery, money counters, 43 mobile phones, six laptops and a vehicle.
The estimated street value of the drugs seized is more than 139 million Canadian dollars (approx $97 million), the OPP said, describing it “one of the largest drug busts by weight in Ontario”.
OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart described the seizure as a significant blow to organised crime, saying the operation had disrupted the cross-border flow of illegal drugs and firearms and prevented substantial harm to communities across Ontario.
Published – July 27, 2026 05:21 pm IST
