20 people arrested, almost $70M in drugs seized in ‘Project Gateway’
Posted September 29, 2022 4:31 pm.
An almost year-long investigation into an organized crime group by police forces across southern Ontario and the RCMP has resulted in 20 people arrested and a total of 120 charges laid.
Niagara Regional Police say in the fall of 2021 they commenced a joint investigation dubbed “Project Gateway” which also involved officers from Peel Region and the Hamilton-Niagara Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Over the course of the next 10 months, they identified a group of individuals they allege were involved in activities ranging from smuggling cocaine into Canada from Mexico and Los Angeles, producing cannabis on a “massive” scale to smuggle into the U.S., smuggling people across the Niagara River into New York State, and employing illegal foreign workers to work at cannabis production sites and to clean chain hotels.
Police say among the items seized throughout the investigation are almost 400 pounds of cannabis destined for Europe valued at over $1.3 million, 45,000 pounds of marijuana plants and over 20,000 pounds of processed cannabis said to be worth $62 million, and 82 kg of cocaine worth approximately $3.2 million.
On September 14, investigators say 175 police officers from agencies across southern Ontario along with 10 Canada Border Services Agency officers arrested a number of individuals from Brampton, Milton, Niagara Falls, Thorold, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Woodbridge, Richmond Hill and Hamilton. More drugs, valued in excess of $3 million, along with a number of weapons, cash and six stolen vehicles were also seized.
“Our goal at the beginning of this was to dismantle and disrupt this organized group and put an end to the behaviour and the scheming that was happening that ultimately leads to violence in our communities, not just here in Niagara but in all the other jurisdictions, all the other areas in the Greater Toronto Area, eastern Ontario, western Ontario, all the way out to British Columbia,” said Staff Sgt. Matt Hodges of the Niagara Regional Police Service.
“I think that this project is going to have a profound impact all across the country.”
The list of suspects and the charges they are facing can be found here.
