'A sophisticated criminal network:' 9 arrested, $13M in drugs seized in Toronto

Ontario Provincial Police say they seized more than $13 million in illicit drugs and arrested nine suspects as part of a drug trafficking investigation by the province’s joint guns and gangs task force.

The investigation, dubbed Project Cranium, was launched in the fall of 2023 after police said they learned of two individuals trafficking drugs in the City of Barrie.

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“Further investigation revealed that a sophisticated criminal network was operating out of the Greater Toronto Area, Simcoe County and Durham Region,” OPP said in a news release issued Wednesday.

“Illicit drugs were being purchased from a source supplier and trafficked to a mid-level purchaser before being sold to local traffickers throughout Southern Ontario.”

On Jan. 21, 2024, police said they executed 16 search warrants in Toronto, including 11 at residences, four on vehicles, and one at a storage locker.

• IN PICTURES: Toronto's biggest drug busts

Nine suspects were arrested following the Provincial Joint Forces Guns and Gangs Enforcement investigation, an operation that involves members from 21 police services across Ontario.

Items seized during the searches include 173 kilograms of suspected crystal meth, 56 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 500 grams of suspected fentanyl, two prohibited handguns, and more than $620,000 in Canadian currency, police said.