NEWLY FORMED DRUG SQUAD FINDS MASSIVE HEROIN STASH

A new specialized team of drug investigators has uncovered one of the
largest heroin caches found in Canada during its first investigation,
one that started and finished within a month.

About 140 kilograms of suspected high-grade heroin have been seized in
the Toronto area and three people arrested, police are expected to
announce today at a scheduled press conference. The seizure is valued
at about $50-million.

"I've been in this for 35 years and this is the largest seizure I've
seen," said Superintendent Ron Allen, who is in charge of the RCMP's
Greater Toronto Area Drug Section.

The month-long operation, codenamed Project Oboard, started when
Canada Border Services Agency officers working at Toronto's Pearson
international airport found 8.6-kilograms of heroin hidden in a
shipment of household goods that was destined for a Toronto address.

The drugs were estimated to be worth $3-million and the investigation
was turned over to the Toronto airport drug squad's newly formed
Control Delivery Team, which specializes in secretly monitoring a
shipment to the place it is supposed to go and then arresting whoever
comes to collect it.

On July 21, police arrested three men, two from Brampton, Ont., and
one from Toronto. Police also seized close to $650,000 in cash at that
time.

Further investigation, however, led police to a much larger stash,
police said. The second seizure was made off of the airport property,
suggesting it had already been successfully smuggled into the country.

The size of the load leads officers to suspect there is an
organization behind the smuggling efforts, however, there have been no
additional people arrested since the second stash was found.