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Toronto police arrest 20 people in large international drug investigation

June 22, 2021 – Toronto police have arrested 20 people in what they’re calling a major takedown of an international drug-smuggling ring.

The force says those accused, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area, are facing a total of 182 charges, including importation of a substance and participation in a criminal organization.

They say the investigation involving Canadian and American law enforcement focused on alleged drug imports from Mexico to California and into Canada.

The force says cocaine and crystal meth were imported via tractor-trailers capable of smuggling up to 100 kilograms of illicit substances.

Police say over a thousand kilos of illicit drugs, 21 vehicles, almost a million dollars, and a firearm were seized over the span of seven months.

Toronto Police Chief James Ramer says the seizure of the drugs has prevented overdoses and drug-related violence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2021.