20 people charged, $61M worth of drugs seized in largest bust in Toronto police history

Twenty people are facing rafts of charges each and more than $61 million worth of cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana was seized in what Toronto police are calling the largest drug seizure in the service’s history.

“Project Brisa” allegedly found a group of smugglers using trap door compartments in tractor-trailers to move up to 100 kilograms of drugs at a time from Mexico and California to several cities in Ontario.

The conspirators allegedly moved large quantities of drugs into Canada via Ontario border crossings.

In May, police executed 35 search warrants in Toronto and the GTA, Sarnia, London, Guelph, Kitchener, Montreal, Halifax, Surrey, Calgary and Winnipeg.

They allegedly seized 444 kilograms of cocaine, 157 kilograms of crystal meth, 427 kilograms of marijuana and 300 oxycodone pills.

They also found $966,000 in cash and seized five tractor-trailers and several other vehicles including a Mercedes G-Wagon.

Investigators also seized one Glock handgun.

Several of the tractor trailers and other vehicles were modified with hydraulic-powered trap door compartments to move drugs.

Twenty people are now in custody, and two others are still on the lam.

They are facing a combined total of 182 criminal code charges.

The two suspects still outstanding were identified as Scott McManus and William Nhan.

Anyone with information about either suspect is asked to call investigators.

Toronto police say numerous other police services including the RCMP, OPP, York Regional Police, Montreal police and a number of provincial and federal agencies assisted them in the investigation.