B.C. man nicknamed 'Trap Maker' one of 20 people arrested in $61M Toronto drug bust
A Surrey, B.C., man dubbed the “Trap Maker” by Toronto police is one of 20 people arrested as part of a $61 million drug seizure.
The suspects are facing 182 charges in total after cocaine, crystal meth and marijuana were seized in what authorities are calling the largest drug seizure in Toronto Police Service history.
“Project Brisa” allegedly found a group of smugglers using trap door compartments in tractor-trailers to move up to 100 kilograms of drugs at a time from Mexico and California into Canada via Ontario border crossings.
Investigators allege the traps were built and installed by a 43-year-old man from Surrey, identified as Jason Hall.
CTV News obtained Hall’s address through court documents and neighbours say there was a large search of the property about two weeks ago.
“It was really early in the morning all of a sudden police had this whole area all shut down and they wouldn’t even let me out of the yard,” said neighbour Robert Nowak. “I figured something serious had happened there, I couldn't believe how many police cars were here.”
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with Surrey RCMP said she couldn’t comment on the investigation as it is being conducted by Toronto police, but in an email said: “I can say that Mr. Hall has no previous criminal convictions in B.C. that I am aware of.”
In May, police executed 35 search warrants in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area, Sarnia, London, Guelph, Kitchener, Montreal, Halifax, Surrey, Calgary and Winnipeg.
They allegedly seized 444 kilograms of cocaine, 157 kilograms of crystal meth, 427 kilograms of marijuana and 300 oxycodone pills.
They also found $966,000 in cash and seized five tractor-trailers and several other vehicles including a Mercedes G-Wagon.
Investigators also seized one Glock handgun. Two other suspects are still wanted.
With files from CP24's Chris Herhalt
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.