Police stop a whopping 3.15 kg of ketamine and 1,100 pounds of pot from hitting Toronto streets

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A massive amount of ketamine and cannabis won’t be making it to the streets thanks to a joint operation by U.S. Homeland Security and Canada’s RCMP.

The trans-Atlantic, border-crossing drugs have been stopped in its tracks. The 3.15 kg haul of ketamine originated in Paris in early February, but was intercepted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Memphis en route to the Greater Toronto Area. The illicit cargo was transferred by HSI to the RCMP to continue the investigation, police noted in a release.

Officers soon paid a visit to two residences in Scarborough, an area of Toronto, and arrested a 34-year-old male named Tie Bang (Tony) Cao. A search of the man’s home led to the seizure of 1,100 lbs of marijuana, sums of cash hidden throughout the house, a money counter, a vacuum sealer, computers and cellphones.

A second suspect, 44-year-old Aubrey Godfrey Reid Junior, surrendered himself to authorities on Mar. 3.

“This investigation is an excellent example of why it is paramount for international law enforcement agencies to work together to protect the public and combat the illicit cross-border trafficking of narcotics,” said HSI Country Attaché Michael Buckley, who is based in Ottawa.

Through information-sharing and intelligence-driven leads, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), HSI and the RCMP “were able to successfully target and arrest the suspects involved in the illegal importation and possession for the purpose of trafficking 3.15 kilograms of ketamine, and continue our efforts to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute cross-border smuggling and trafficking organizations,” Buckley said.

Reid and Cao both face a host of charges, including importation of a controlled substance into Canada (ketamine), possession of a controlled substance for the purposes of trafficking (ketamine) and conspiracy to import a controlled substance (ketamine). Cao also faces charges for the possession of cannabis for the purposes of distributing, selling and exporting the drug.

“Ketamine is a drug which has street names such as ‘Special K,’ ‘Super C,’ among others. This drug has also been known to be used as a ‘date-rape’ drug,” said Barry Dolan, detachment commander for the RCMP’s Toronto Airport Detachment. “This seizure shows how the RCMP works in partnership with the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) and the U.S. border patrol, to prevent illegal activity at the border and to keep our communities safe from illicit drugs,” Dolan added.

The accused are scheduled to appear at the Brampton Courthouse on March 20.

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