VZCZCXRO5535
RR RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHON #0155/01 1362007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 152007Z MAY 08
FM AMCONSUL TORONTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2495
INFO RUCNCAN/ALCAN COLLECTIVE
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEPINS/HQ BICE INTEL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 TORONTO 000155 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PGOV CA
SUBJECT: Ontario Police Counternarcotics Efforts Paying Off 
 
REF: (A) Toronto 69 (B) Toronto 59 (C) 07 Toronto 448 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified - Protect Accordingly. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Drug production, smuggling and trafficking 
continues to be a major challenge for Ontario law enforcement 
agencies.  Since we last reported on counter-narcotics efforts in 
Ontario in mid-March, police have discovered and shut down several 
large-scale marijuana grow-ops and methamphetamine labs, seized 
significant quantities of drugs, and arrested and charged scores of 
people.  The Akwesasne First Nations Reserve and Pearson 
International Airport remain prime drug transit points.  Experts 
argue that increasing youth street gang activity and the 
accompanying increased gun violence in Canada are symptoms of a 
burgeoning drug trade in the country.  Information-sharing and 
operational cooperation between U.S. and Canadian law enforcement 
agencies have been vital to several recent significant seizures on 
both sides of the border.  Should a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency 
(DEA) position be created in Toronto, the agent would find plenty of 
work involving illegal cross-border drug flows.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Ontario Provincial Police Publish 2007 Drug Report 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶2. (U) On May 12, 2008, the Drug Enforcement Section (DES) of the 
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) announced that in 2007 it seized 
C$244.2 million in illicit drugs and arrested 2,246 individuals 
across Ontario last year.  In 2007, a total of 3,105 investigations 
dismantled 551 indoor and outdoor marijuana grow operations, in 
which 6,000 kilograms of dried marijuana were seized and more than 
160,000 marijuana plants were destroyed.  Over the past five years, 
the OPP has charged 9,993 persons with 36,963 criminal offenses; 
eliminated 3,550 marijuana grow-ops; destroyed 1,162,450 marijuana 
plants; seized 412.3 kilos of cocaine; and seized 3,200 weapons. 
The value of the drugs seized during this five-year period was C$1.6 
billion.  The value of the property seized was C$27.2 million. 
 
¶3. (U) DES notes that it has seen more criminal activity during the 
past five years involving new and synthetic drugs such as ecstasy, 
GHB, crack cocaine, and prescription pills such as oxycodone.  The 
number of weapons, man traps and degree of violence associated with 
outdoor marijuana grow operations in Ontario have also increased 
significantly.  The 3,200 weapons seized during drug investigations 
over the last five years include machine guns, assault rifles, 
detonator cords, and blasting caps. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Pearson Airport Continues to be a Drug Trafficking Hub 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶4. (U) On April 26, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) at 
Toronto's Pearson Airport arrested a Quebec woman for transporting 
12 kilos of cocaine worth C$1.5 million inside 24 boxes of cake mix 
into Canada on a flight from Peru.  The seizure was made public on 
May 9 as part of an ongoing probe.  Two seizures were also made on a 
flight arriving in Toronto from St. Lucia on May 5.  A 24-year-old 
man from St. Lucia was charged after he was found with 4.5 kilos of 
coke worth roughly C$560,000 and a 24-year-old woman and her 
34-year-old boyfriend were held after 11.5 kilos of cocaine worth 
C$1.4 million was discovered in their luggage. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Marijuana Grow-ups Still Flourishing in Ontario 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5. (U) According to the U.N.'s 2007 Drug Report, 960 to 2,400 metric 
tons of marijuana is produced annually in Canada, 25% of which is 
produced in Ontario.  Over the past couple of months, law 
enforcement agencies in Ontario have shut down numerous large-scale 
marijuana grow-ops. 
 
¶6. (U) On April 21, 2008, police seized 3,000 marijuana plants and 
almost seven kilograms of processed pot with an estimated street 
value of over C$3 million.  Two homemade swords, three vehicles, 
digital scales, and a large quantity of hydroponic equipment were 
also seized in the raid.  Two Toronto men were charged with 
marijuana production. 
 
¶7. (U) On April 22, 2008, York Region police announced that they had 
dismantled 18 marijuana grow operations linked to a company that 
allegedly sold the equipment needed to grow pot indoors.  Following 
a two year investigation police seized 8,000 plants worth about C$8 
million.  Three people face a dozen charges, including production of 
a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for the 
purpose of trafficking, and theft of electricity. 
 
¶8. (U) On May 13, 2008, the OPP announced that they arrested 45 
people and laid 173 charges in connection with an outdoor marijuana 
 
TORONTO 00000155  002 OF 004 
 
 
grow-operation near Minden, Ontario last fall.  Officers seized more 
than C$7 million in marijuana, about C$50,000 in cash, 2,000 ecstasy 
pills, nine firearms, and camouflage outfits.  The grow-op was 
discovered after six people, two of whom worked for the Ontario 
Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), stumbled on the grow-op near 
an ATV trail last October.  The six people were beaten, robbed, and 
held captive for hours by the suspects.  Police said marijuana 
plants were being stolen from the spot by another group of criminals 
when the victims discovered the plants.  The investigation, dubbed 
"Project Pirate," also resulted in charges against several people in 
connection with a violent carjacking last June on Highway 401 in 
eastern Ontario.  Police estimate there could be more than 300 
illegal outdoor marijuana grow-ops right now in Ontario, some in 
remote areas and others hidden in unsuspecting farmers' fields. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Recent Cocaine, Crack, and Marijuana Seizures 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) On March 27, members of the Toronto Drug Squad and the 
Emergency Task Force executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 
warrant at D.J. Record and Clothing Store in downtown Toronto. 
Police discovered roughly 65 pounds of marijuana worth C$600,000 and 
a 9mm handgun.  15 people were charged with 32 drug and weapons 
related charges. 
 
¶10. (U) On March 29, 2008, Toronto Police seized 1,295 grams of 
marijuana worth C$13,000, 139 grams of crack cocaine worth C$30,000, 
and C$12,170 of cash along with numerous articles of drug 
paraphernalia from a car parked in a residential neighborhood of 
central Toronto.  A Toronto man was arrested and charged with 
drug-related offences. 
 
¶11. (U) On April 10, 2008, Toronto Police and Toronto Anti-Violence 
Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) officers seized approximately C$30,000 
in cash and 108.8 grams of cocaine from a Barrie, Ontario man.  The 
man was charged with three drug-related offences. 
 
¶12. (U) On April 17, 2008, a Windsor, Ontario man appeared in court 
on drug trafficking charges after Windsor police raided a home and 
seized 14 pounds of bagged marijuana, along with 241 grams of 
cocaine, and 120 grams of hashish and hash oil worth C$91,629.  The 
man is now facing five counts of possession of drugs for the purpose 
of trafficking.  Windsor Police credited a recent boost in 
provincial funding aimed at tackling drug and firearms crimes in 
Ontario for a number of drug busts in the city.  Police said the 
number of drug busts so far this year is about the same as during 
the same period last year, but more drugs are being seized. 
 
¶13. (U) On April 29, 2008, an Ontario man was arrested in Michigan 
after state troopers seized 63 kilograms of cocaine in three duffel 
bags worth C$1.8 million from his tractor trailer.  Four Americans 
in a car trailing the tractor trailer were also taken into custody. 
 
 
¶14. (U) On May 14, Toronto Police seized a large quantity of cocaine 
and C$389,726 in cash.  A Toronto man was charged with trafficking 
cocaine, possession for the purpose of trafficking in cocaine, and 
possession of proceeds of crime. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Akwesasne Reserve A Smuggling Hub 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶15. (U) The Akwesasne First Nations Reserve, which straddles the 
provincial boundaries between Ontario and Quebec as well as the 
international border between the U.S. and Canada, continues to be a 
prime location for smuggling and drug trafficking.  The reserve is 
known as St. Regis Mohawk Reserve in New York.  The 401 Trans-Canada 
highway, conveniently located just outside the reserve, provides 
direct routes west to Toronto and east to Montreal.  The RCMP 
estimates that roughly C$1 billion in drugs and contraband flow 
through the reserve each year. 
 
¶16. (U) On March 26, 2008, 29 people were arrested as police forces 
staged drug raids on the Kahnawake, Kanesatake, and Akwesasne First 
Nations Reserves, dismantling a multi-million dollar drug pipeline 
linking Ontario, Quebec, and the U.S.  More than 300 officers, 
including the Kahnawake and Akwesasne Peace Keepers, worked with 
RCMP and Surete du Quebec in the year-long investigation known as 
"Operation Cancun."  Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and U.S. Drug 
Enforcement Agency (DEA) officers also assisted.  In 15 raids police 
forces netted 115 kilos of marijuana worth an estimated C$1 million, 
bundles of cash totaling C$2 million, four machine guns, an AK-47, 
an M-16, three grenade launchers, and other assorted weapons. 
Police also seized 10 luxury vehicles, including high-end SUVs and 
at least one sports car worth C$250,000.  "The drugs were smuggled 
by boat in the summer and by trucks and skidoo on ice bridges in the 
winter," explained Sergeant Michael Harvey of the RCMP's customs and 
 
TORONTO 00000155  003 OF 004 
 
 
excise section.  Of the 22 men and 7 women arrested, eight live in 
Kahnawake, 10 in Akwesasne, one in the Kanesetake Mohawk reserve 
near Montreal, and 10 in Montreal.  They face charges of 
gangsterism, drug exportation, illegal weapons possession, drug 
possession, drug trafficking, conspiracy to traffic drugs, 
conspiracy to export drugs, and drug manufacturing. 
 
¶17. (U) On February 25, 2008, in Warren County, New York, state 
troopers seized 10 pounds of marijuana in a duffel bag from four 
Massachusetts men and also seized 126 pounds of marijuana worth a 
combined C$500,000 from three Canadian women from Cornwall, Ontario, 
in the largest seizure in the county's history.  In both cases, the 
people transporting the drugs reportedly brought them into the U.S. 
through the St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reservation. 
 
---------------------------- 
Meth Super-lab Raided in GTA 
---------------------------- 
 
¶18. (U) On April 29, Toronto Police uncovered the largest 
methamphetamine lab ever found in the GTA in an industrial park in 
Mississauga, Ontario.  Inside the industrial units police found two 
full methamphetamine cooking kitchens, 80 drums of volatile 
chemicals, storage for a large amount of ecstasy pills, and four 
pill presses.  Four people were arrested -- three from Toronto and 
one from Quebec.  Toronto Police described the meth lab as a 
sophisticated, organized criminal operation. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
U.S. - Canadian Law Enforcement Cooperation is Working 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶19. (U) Information-sharing and operational cooperation between U.S. 
and Canadian law enforcement agencies has been key to several recent 
significant arrests and seizures on both sides of the border.  For 
example, on March 19, 2008, Toronto Police and the RCMP executed 12 
search warrants at various GTA locations that resulted in the 
seizure of 275 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of 
over C$550,000.  Charges were filed against four men from the GTA. 
The operation, dubbed "Project Ocujo," was conducted with the 
support of the U.S. DEA and targeted a GTA smuggling ring allegedly 
involved in shipping Canadian marijuana south of the border.  Police 
also seized 17.6 pounds of ketamine, 3 vehicles, 130 cigarettes, 
C$180,000 in cash, and a C$100,000 money order.  Two people in the 
U.S. were also charged. 
 
------------------------------- 
Gangs, Guns and Drugs in Canada 
------------------------------- 
 
¶20. (U) Michael Chettleburgh, author of "Young Thugs: Inside the 
Dangerous World of Canadian Street Gangs," published in April 2007, 
warns that more young people are joining gangs.  He argues the 
increasing gunplay on Canadian streets is a symptom of a burgeoning 
drug trade.  Chettleburgh drafted the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on 
Youth Gangs for the federal government and will release the results 
of a new survey later this year.  "Where there are guns and gangs 
there are drugs," Chettleburgh opined.  "We've gone from seeing 
fairly unsophisticated revolvers, to semi-automatic pistols to 
hunting rifles sawed off, to machine guns and military-grade assault 
rifles." 
 
¶21. (U) Toronto Deputy Police Chief Tony Warr said the propensity 
for violence has spread from major drug dealers to minor drug 
traffickers who now carry guns because they are afraid of getting 
ripped off or shot by their competition.  In 2006, 8,100 Canadian 
residents were victims of violent gun crimes including robbery, 
assault, and homicide, according to Statistics Canada.  The number 
of young people using guns in violent crimes has risen in three of 
the previous four years, increasing 32% since 2002, also according 
to Statistics Canada.  Chettleburgh estimates there are 11,000 to 
14,000 gang members under the age of 21 across the country, up from 
7,000 in the 2002 Police Survey on Youth Gangs. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Oshawa, Ontario is a Major Drug Haven 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶22. (U) In recent months, Oshawa, Ontario, located on the eastern 
fringe of the GTA, has been a hot-spot of drug-related activity.  On 
March 16, 2008, in Oshawa, Durham Regional Police (DRP) seized 24 
grams of crack cocaine and 910 grams of cocaine worth C$90,000, and 
arrested two Oshawa residents.  Also, two days later, on March 18, 
DRP seized roughly 2 kilograms of cocaine worth C$200,000 and four 
people were charged with drug-related offences. 
 
¶23. (U) On March 20, 2008, Oshawa Police recovered 1,797 grams of 
psilocybin or magic mushrooms, 110 grams of marijuana, and 8 grams 
of hash worth C$37,000 after stopping a vehicle on a downtown 
 
TORONTO 00000155  004 OF 004 
 
 
thoroughfare.  Two men were charged. 
 
¶24. (U) On March 20, 2008, DRP announced that a six week 
street-level drug trafficking investigation in eastern Toronto 
suburbs including Oshawa resulted in the seizure of C$40,000 in 
drugs, and 63 arrests with about 200 charges laid, mostly related to 
cocaine trafficking.  The investigation, dubbed "Project Magnet," 
recovered roughly 71 grams of crack cocaine worth C$7,140, 151 grams 
of cocaine worth C$15,110, 1,316 grams of marijuana worth C$13,162, 
and 231 tablets of oxycodone worth C$4,620.  A .45 caliber handgun, 
3 boxes of ammunition, and C$6,800 in cash were also seized.  45 of 
the 63 people charged were from Oshawa. 
 
¶25. (U) On April 9, 2008 DRP discovered a major meth lab concealed 
behind false walls and secret compartments in an Oshawa residence. 
In the house police found caches of chemicals and lab equipment. 
Police believe that the drug lab belonged to the previous owner of 
the residence so no charges were laid against the current occupants. 
 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Recent Major Drug Seizures and Operations 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶26. (U) On April 1, 2008, Toronto Police announced the successful 
conclusion of a six-week project, dubbed "Project Revival," which 
resulted in 75 arrests for drug trafficking and 21 arrests for 
prostitution, resulting in 192 drug and criminal charges.  These 96 
arrested people had a previous combined total of 2,089 drug and 
criminal convictions. 
 
¶27. (U) On March 16, 2008, Toronto Police and local law enforcement 
agencies concluded a six week long investigation, dubbed "Project 
White Rabbit," by raiding the Comfort Zone, a downtown Toronto club. 
 In the six-week run-up to the club raid, Toronto Police made 13 
drug-related arrests and seized C$6,000 worth of drugs.  33 people 
were arrested and charged and police recovered heroin, cocaine, 
ecstasy, ketamine, and GHB, worth C$30,000, along with C$35,000 cash 
during the club raid.  In a related arrest on April 6, 2008, another 
Toronto man was charged with trafficking cocaine, possession of 
cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, and possession of proceeds 
of crime. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Cocaine heads North; Marijuana Heads South 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶28. (U) Large recent cocaine seizures in Ontario demonstrate that 
the cross-border drug pipelines continue to operate.  On March 29, 
2008, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) guards at the Blue Water 
Bridge in Sarnia, Ontario seized 46 kilograms of cocaine worth 
C$5.75 million behind the rear seat of a car.  A Kitchener, Ontario 
man and women were charged with importing a controlled substance and 
possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of 
trafficking. 
 
¶29. (U) On March 16, 2008, an Oshawa man was arrested for trying to 
smuggle 272 pounds of marijuana worth C$1.6 million in his truck 
when he entered the United States at the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, 
NY.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents said they 
found the pot hidden in seven cardboard boxes in a load of airplane 
parts and a large steel tank. 
 
¶30. (SBU) COMMENT:  Ontario-based law enforcement agencies continue 
to work hard to combat illegal drug production and trafficking.  The 
volume and tempo of drug-related seizures and arrests in Ontario and 
along the Canada-U.S. border demonstrate the continued profitability 
of the drug trade and the determination of the criminals operating 
it.  Recent significant seizures on both sides of the border 
highlight the importance of information sharing and operational 
cooperation between U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies, 
which is helping to combat the flow of drugs, weapons, and 
contraband across the border.  The high volume of illegal 
cross-border drug flow, in both directions, makes it clear that any 
DEA agent stationed in Toronto would have a heavy and productive 
workload, with much opportunity for increased cooperation with 
Canadian law enforcement authorities here.  END COMMENT. 
 
NAY