Ontario drug bust: 19 held, 1.7 tonnes seized in Project Bay

Ontario,UPDATED: Jul 27, 2026 15:18 IST

Nineteen people, most of them believed to be of Indian origin, have been arrested in one of the biggest drug busts in Ontario, Canada, with authorities seizing nearly 1.7 tonnes of narcotics valued at more than USD 97 million. Police said two more accused are still at large.

The Ontario Provincial Police said an intelligence-led cross-border investigation, codenamed Project Bay, dismantled an alleged drug trafficking network that used commercial transport routes to move narcotics into Canada. Investigators said many of the accused were truck drivers allegedly recruited to transport illicit consignments across the Canada-US border.

According to the OPP, the investigation began in January 2025 after the Windsor Police Service launched a probe into drug trafficking. The Canada Border Services Agency joined the investigation a month later, and the case later expanded to include the OPP and several other law enforcement agencies. Investigators said the network operated through a broker-style model in the commercial transportation sector, using established logistics links to arrange for drivers to knowingly transport illicit consignments concealed within legitimate supply chains across the international border.

Among those arrested were Gagandip Thindal, 27, Simranjit Singh, 32, Kanwarpal Kular, 32, Jatinderpal Singh, 39, Jasvinder Sohi, 55, Tejwinder Sandhu, 29, Harjwinder Sandhu, 33, Haninderpal Grewal, 34, Tarminder Singh, 19, Avtar Sahota, 54, Gundeep Tariwal, 32, Mehakpreet Singh, 24, and Karandeep Singh, 27. Police executed 22 search warrants between June 25 and July 20 at homes and businesses in Windsor, Corunna, LaSalle, Brampton, Kleinburg, Markham and Caledon.

Authorities seized about 973 kg of cocaine, 660 kg of methamphetamine, 49 kg of opium, 230 oxycodone tablets, 17 firearms, around 80,000 Canadian dollars and USD 10,000 in cash, high-end jewellery, money counters, 43 mobile phones, six laptops and a vehicle. The OPP put the street value of the drugs at more than 139 million Canadian dollars, or about USD 97 million, and described it as "one of the largest drug busts by weight in Ontario". OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart called it a significant blow to organised crime, saying the operation had disrupted the cross-border flow of illegal drugs and firearms and prevented substantial harm to communities across Ontario.

The investigation, which began earlier this year and grew into a multi-agency operation, led to the arrest of 19 people, the seizure of large quantities of narcotics and firearms, and the takedown of an alleged network that police said used commercial transport links to move drugs across the Canada-US border.

With PTI Inputs

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