19, believed to be Indians, held in largest-ever drug bust of Canada

Ontario, July 27: Nineteen people, most of them believed to be of Indian-origin, were arrested in one of the largest-ever drug busts in Canada’s Ontario province in which authorities seized nearly 1.7 tonnes of narcotics with an estimated value of over USD 97 million.
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, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in a press statement.
Police said 19 people have been arrested, while two remain at large. Many of the accused are truck drivers allegedly recruited to transport illicit consignments across the Canada-US 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.
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, with the probe eventually expanding to include the OPP and several other law enforcement agencies.
According to investigators, the network operated through a broker-style model within the commercial transportation sector, using established logistics links to arrange drivers to knowingly transport illicit consignments concealed within legitimate supply chains across the international border. (PTI)