A five month operation by police forces across Canada has resulted in a record seizure of large illegal drugs. Most of the drugs were aimed at the Canadian market with less than 1% traveling south of the border.
The operation, dubbed "National Fentanyl Sprint 2.0," ran from mid-May to the end of October. It included 21 Canadian law enforcement agencies and government partners.
That was in coordination with the Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime, or CIROC.
The seizures included 386 kilograms of fentanyl, nearly 6,000 kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,700 kilograms of methamphetamines.
Gary Anandasangaree, Canada’s public safety minister, said the drugs were aimed at the domestic market.
"The source is not each other, the source is from external countries, external regions," said Anandasangaree. "Fentanyl is not going, certainly from Canada to the U.S."
Meanwhile the Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted police, Bonnie Ferguson, said CIROC’s aim is to coordinate efforts to detect, pursue, counter and disrupt organized crime.
In addition to the drug seizures authorities say there were more than 8,000 arrests and charges. Police say nearly $13.5 million in cash was also seized. Most of seizures were in Ontario.
