Four Windsor-Essex men among 20 arrested following $65-million drug bust
Three Leamington men and a Windsor man were charged along with 16 other suspects after more than $65 million in drugs was seized in a joint police operation.
In the fall of 2021, investigators from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS), Peel Regional Police (PRP) and the Hamilton-Niagara Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) started the joint investigation dubbed “Project Gateway”.
Police say the 10-month investigation identified that this organized group was engaged in a number of alleged criminal enterprises including:
- Conspiring to smuggle cocaine from Mexico and Los Angeles into Canada by transport truck (via various ports of entry) and boat across the St. Clair River;
- Operating cocaine extraction labs in rural properties located in South-Western Ontario designed to transform smuggled cocaine from an altered state (used to conceal the substance) to powder cocaine for resale;
- Smuggling cannabis and cannabis derivatives from Canada to the United States and other countries internationally by transport truck and registered shipping services;
- Smuggling large amounts of tobacco from the United States into Canada by transport truck. Some of the smuggled tobacco was kept in Canada while some was smuggled overseas from Canada;
- Smuggling people across the Niagara River into New York State by boat;
- Possessing stolen vehicles and shipping them overseas;
- Firearms possession;
- Employing illegal foreign workers to work at cannabis production sites and to clean chain hotels;
- Production of cannabis on a massive scale and smuggled into the United States using transport trucks; and
- Production of illegal cigarettes.
Over the last 10 months, police say a variety of seizures were made while collecting evidence relating to alleged smuggling activities.
Some of these seizures included the following:
- A shipment of cannabis weighing 339.5 lbs that was destined for Europe. (estimated value of $1,356,000 CDN);
- 22 skids of undeclared tobacco with an approximate weight of 33,000 lbs. (estimated value of $230,000);
- 45,000 cannabis plants and over 20,000 lbs. of processed cannabis (estimated value of $62,792,000.00);
- 80 Kilograms of cocaine (valued at approximately $3,200,000.00) was seized by authorities in Canada and the United States.
On Sept. 14, the active joint project came to a conclusion with the execution of search warrants in various locations throughout Ontario. The search warrants were executed with the assistance of approximately 175 police officers from police agencies across Southern Ontario and 10 Canada Border Services Agency officers.
The totality of the investigation and the warrants that were executed in Brampton, Milton, Niagara Falls, Thorold, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Woodbridge, Richmond Hill and Hamilton resulted in numerous charges laid against several individuals, along with the seizure of 3,007.5 lbs. of cannabis (valued at $3,007,500), 136.3 grams of cocaine (valued at $13,630), three handguns, two shotguns, a rifle, 1650 rounds of ammunition, six stolen vehicles and over $467 000 in currency.
As a result of Project Gateway, the following charges have been laid:
69-year-old Ollie Mastronardi of Leamington, Ont.
- Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Distribution – S. 9(2) Cannabis Act
- Cultivate Cannabis from a Seed or Plant Material, knowing it was illicit – S. 12(4)(a) Cannabis Act
- Cultivation of Cannabis Without Authorization – Cultivate not in a Dwelling House – S. 12(6)(a) Cannabis Act
43-year-old Mark Mastronardi of Leamington, Ont.
- Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Distribution – S. 9(2) Cannabis Act
- Cultivate Cannabis from a Seed or Plant Material, knowing it was illicit – S. 12(4)(a) Cannabis Act
- Cultivation of Cannabis Without Authorization – Cultivate not in a Dwelling House – S. 12(6)(a) Cannabis Act
45-year-old Joseph Spano of Leamington, Ont.
- Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Distribution – S. 9(2) Cannabis Act
- Cultivate Cannabis from a Seed or Plant Material, knowing it was illicit – S. 12(4)(a) Cannabis Act
- Cultivation of Cannabis Without Authorization – Cultivate not in a Dwelling House – S. 12(6)(a) Cannabis Act
28-year-old Fawzi Zaid of Windsor, Ont.
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking a Schedule I Substance (cocaine) – S. 5(2) CDSA
In addition to the NRPS, PRP and RCMP, several law enforcement agencies worked as part of this parallel investigation throughout the duration of Project Gateway including: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), FBI Buffalo International Organized Crime Task Force (BIOCTF), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, multiple Units/Sections from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Windsor Police Service, Lasalle Police Service, Chatham Police Service, York Regional Police, Gatineau Police Service, Hamilton Police Service, Toronto Police Service and Halton Police Service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.