Police in Ontario, Canada, found more than a ton of cocaine, around $250 million worth, hidden in concrete construction blocks, the Toronto Star reported Monday.
The 2,341 pounds of cocaine confiscated may set a new record for the amount of drugs found in one bust, according to police. “This is a massive seizure — bigger than I’ve seen in my 33 years of policing,” Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Vince Hawkes said during a press conference.
The investigation, called Project Hope, brings together police departments and several Canadian agencies into a task force, and authorities believe they have found links to Mexican cartels.
“It’s fair to say that we’re not dealing with a half-ounce of cocaine, we’re dealing with 1000 kilos,” Rick Barnum, deputy commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police said. “When you’re dealing with that level and making seizures of that size, it’s definitely related to cartels and serious, serious crime groups.”
Authorities were tipped off to the location of the drugs by an undisclosed member of the public. Investigators said the cocaine was shipped from Argentina to Montreal, where it was set to be distributed around the continent.
“I can’t say the source of the cocaine as to where it was produced,” Barnum said. “There are connections to Mexico and the Mexican cartels.”
The cocaine was hidden in blocks of concrete, concealing the drugs even from drug-sniffing dogs. “Our dogs — [Canada Border Service Agency] dogs — never detected the cocaine,” Barnum said.
Three men have been arrested as suspects in the trafficking of cocaine, and the investigation is still ongoing.
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