Dark web drug bust nets thousands of pills, $400K Ferrari
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they've dismantled a drug marketplace that operated on the dark web, seizing 27 kilograms of illegal drugs, thousands of dollars in cash and other items including a $400,000 Ferrari.
Calling the intelligence-led investigation a first of its kind, OPP launched Project BIONIC in November.
The operation was "aimed at dismantling an operation that used a dark web marketplace to ship a high volume of drugs" to numerous locations across Canada, according to an OPP news release issued Tuesday.
On March 10, officers from the OPP's organized crime enforcement bureau arrested two suspects at a Canada Post outlet in Ottawa and seized 86 packages "containing various drugs ready to be shipped to addresses across Canada."
The same day, officers from various OPP units carried out search warrants at three homes and one vehicle in Ottawa, seizing various amounts of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, cocaine and other drugs in various forms. OPP estimate the street value of the seized drugs at $2.5 million.
Officers also seized a handgun with an extended magazine, about $95,000 in cash, electronic devices including reprogrammable key fobs, and a 2018 Ferrari 488 Spider "valued at more than $400,000."
2nd raid nets 11 stolen vehicles
A subsequent raid on March 27 yielded 11 stolen vehicles including Toyota Highlanders, Sequoias and Tundras, as well as a Lexus RX. OPP estimate the total value of the vehicles at $730,000.
Four suspects, all from Ottawa and all in their 20s or early 30s, are facing a combined 85 criminal and drug charges including trafficking, possession and firearm offences.
OPP describe the dark web as "a hidden portion of the internet … [that] requires special software to access," and say dark web marketplaces "enable the exchange of various illicit items, including stolen credentials, drugs and hacking tools."
In the news release, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique praised the operation for exposing "the alarming volume of dangerous drugs being sold through dark web marketplaces, with packages shipped across the country."
The arrests "show that law enforcement can track and stop even the most complex online trafficking operations," and the investigation "plainly demonstrates the connections between drug trafficking and other crimes, such auto theft and illegal firearms," Carrique said.
Alongside Project BIONIC, OPP announced the separate Project GOLDEN Tuesday. That southwest Ontario investigation, according to police, took 11 months, brought in a haul including 38 kilograms of suspected fentanyl and led to 140 charges against 15 people.
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