Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, 45, of Seguin Court in Toronto, is charged with importing cocaine

Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, 45, of Seguin Court in Toronto, is charged with importing cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Bottles of bright orange hot sauce had an unusual travel companion on the freighter bringing them here from Guyana recently.Packets of cocaine worth a total of $40 million were taped to cardboard dividers in boxes of the sauce destined for a food distribution company in Etobicoke. The shipment – one of the largest drug busts in Ontario history – was seized two weeks ago in Saint John, N.B., police said yesterday.The hiding method was "very ingenious," said Det. Sgt. Mario Lessard of Durham Region police. "I've never seen it before."The 276-kilogram seizure of high-quality cocaine followed a year-long investigation into the source of drugs found on street gang members and drug users.Insp. Tom Cameron told reporters that police became aware last spring of a suspect who was "at or near the top" of a drug-smuggling operation, but didn't have enough evidence to charge anyone else.Border guards discovered the cocaine while inspecting shipping containers on a freighter Dec. 8. Agents found drugs in 551 of the 1,250 boxes of sauce and seasoning.

All but two kilograms were removed before the shipment was sent on to Caribbean International Food Distributors at 127 Westmore Dr., near Finch Ave. W. and Highway 27, police said. A man was arrested last Friday after unloading all 1,250 boxes at a rented storage facility.

The investigation and bust were Durham's largest, said Chief Mike Ewles, crediting his officers and assistance from the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency."Cocaine is a highly addictive poison that tears families apart. It is often the root cause of many crimes, especially at the street level," Ewles said, adding it also "supports criminal gangs and wreaks havoc in our communities, with associated turf wars and killings."The drugs were bound for the GTA and beyond, police said.

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Sean Erez, 38, and Evgene Starchik, 24, were convicted after a three-week trial

Sean Erez, 38, and Evgene Starchik, 24, were convicted after a three-week trial which heard key evidence from Erez's ex-girlfriend, Nataly Abitan, 30.
The former Montreal bank manager came to Toronto with Erez on the 2006 Canada Day long weekend and was with him when gunmen opened fire on the 28th floor of the Westin Harbour Castle hotel. After responding to a call about the shooting, police found four kilograms of cocaine in the ice room that Abitan said she had earlier seen in the hotel room the three had shared. No arrests were made in the shooting.
"I am happy for Ms. Abitan, who was an important Crown witness, because her credibility was attacked by the defence but by its verdict the jury found her evidence to be trustworthy and reliable," senior federal Crown attorney George Lennox said after the jury delivered its verdict.
In 2001, Erez pleaded guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., to masterminding an international Ecstasy smuggling ring that used Hasidic Jews as drug couriers. He was sentenced to 15 years but was transferred to Canada in 2005 and released shortly after.
Lennox said he will be seeking a lengthy penitentiary sentence for both men.
Superior Court Justice Frances Kiteley rejected Lennox's request to revoke Starchik's bail, saying she was reassured that he won't disappear since he has shown up for court on time every day and police already have all of his travel documents. He is an Isareli citizen who is already facing deportation due to an earlier drug conviction.Erez's lawyer, Michael McLachlan, said he would appeal on a number of grounds. Starchik represented himself.

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Omid Tahvili, the convicted drug dealer who escaped from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in November with the aid of a guard, was killed last week ?

Omid Tahvili, the convicted drug dealer who escaped from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in November with the aid of a guard, was killed last week after he was shot five times in the head, chest, arm and legs. The tipster said he is storing the body in a fridge and that he would hold onto it until the RCMP offer him a suitable reward. "I can't keep the body around no more longer, because the body stinks right now," the caller told the North Shore News."If they don't make that deal with me, I'm just going to burn the body and get rid of it."He would not reveal how he came to be in possession of the corpse, or any information about who shot Tahvili.
Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Scott Baker confirmed that the tipster had called him twice and offered to return the body in return for a large payment. Police are taking the call seriously, but Baker said there isn't any proof that Tahvili is either dead or alive. He said the caller refused to send RCMP pictures of the body, nor would he give his name or contact information.Although caller ID showed a Toronto number, Baker said that police have not been able to trace it, and they can't be sure that the tipster is actually in Ontario. The caller told the North Shore News that he was "somewhere back east."The caller accurately described Tahvili's tattoos, but police said those descriptions have been widely circulated in the public.
"He could very well know Tahvili, and Tahvili could be in on the whole thing," Baker said. "It sounds pretty hokey.... It sure is possible, but is it likely? I don't know."In August, Crown prosecutor Wendy Dawson revealed in court during the sentencing hearing of former jail guard Edwin Ticne, who helped Tahvili escape in return for $50,000, that the gangster had called Coquitlam RCMP to say he was in Toronto and wanted to make a deal for his return to B.C. Before being sentenced in absentia in January, Tahvili phoned his lawyer and promised to turn himself in if the judge let him off with time served. But that deal was refused, and Tahvili was ordered to serve six more years in jail for the kidnapping and torture of a Surrey man in 2005.The judge ruled that Tahvili was the mastermind behind the abduction plot, in which the victim was kidnapped at gunpoint, blindfolded, assaulted and taken to a secret location, which police believed was Tahvili's business, Platinum Touch in Vancouver. During that sentencing, the court heard that Tahvili and his business shipped at least $654,000 in drug money during a one-month period when they were under police surveillance

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Giuseppe Coluccio was arrested Thursday outside the luxury lakeside apartment building where he has been living in Toronto

Giuseppe Coluccio, 42, was arrested Thursday outside the luxury lakeside apartment building where he has been living in Toronto, ending two years as a fugitive, said prosecutor Nicola Gratteri.
Coluccio has been on the lam since 2005 when he fled a trial alleging he and his brother ran a mob organization that controlled maritime traffic along a 60-kilometer (nearly 40-mile) stretch of the Calabrian coast. His brother Salvatore Coluccio, 41, also is being sought.
«This is a very important arrest because it shows the connection between the 'ndrangheta in Calabria and in Canada,» Gratteri said in a telephone interview.
The Reggio Calabria-based prosecutor said the Canadian branch of the 'ndrangheta has been operating for more than 50 years and is heavily involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Some investigators say the 'ndrangheta is now more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, and is increasingly spreading its influence abroad.
Coluccio faces an extradition hearing within three days, Gratteri said.
In all, 28 people have been charged in the trial, which has resulted to date in 20 convictions with sentences ranging from 16 to 18 years in jail, Gratteri said.

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Dennis George Grant is alleged to be a "major figure in the ring,"

Canada-wide arrest warrant for Dennis George Grant, 31, following a month-long probe into the smuggling operation, in which a man imported narcotics into Canada and then sold the drugs to distributors.The ring was uncovered by officers working out of Peel police 12 Division.Grant, who lives in the City Centre, is alleged to be a "major figure in the ring," according to Peel Cst. Samantha Nulle.He's wanted for unauthorized possession of a firearm (two counts), careless storage of a firearm (two counts), possession of a controlled substance and numerous other firearms, drug and property offences."Investigators believe that he is in possession of a firearm and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous," Nulle said.Grant is described as black, 5-foot-8, 150 pounds. He has short black hair and a large mole on his right cheek next to his nose.He's known to travel extensively throughout Canada, the United States and Jamaica. He might be travelling under an alias, Shawn Aulotte, police said. He holds a passport under that name. Grant is also known to frequent downtown Toronto.

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Thang Ngoc Dang charged with trafficking in marijuana by possession and by transportation

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents charged Thang Ngoc Dang, 37, of 10330 Crestgate Terrace, Unit 105, with trafficking in marijuana by possession and by transportation, both felonies, court records show.
Dang, described in arrest reports as a nail technician with a manicure salon on Wake Forest Road, was arrested March 19 at his home. Agents seized 89 pounds of high-grade marijuana he had just unloaded from an undercover officer's vehicle, according to a search warrant made public this week.
Unknown to Dang, the marijuana he is accused of buying from drug dealers in Canada was under the eye of both Canadian and U.S. authorities."Our undercover agent acted as the facilitator of the transaction," Marc LaPorte, a spokesman with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Friday. "It would have happened anyway. We just stepped in and did the movement for them."Dang was arrested the same day Canadian authorities arrested four people in Toronto on drug-trafficking and drug-exporting charges. Canadian police also used 12 search warrants to seize 60 pounds of marijuana, three vehicles, 130 cartons of cigarettes, $180,000 in cash and $100,000 in money orders.The arrests were part of an international undercover drug operation Canadian police dubbed "Project OCUJO," LaPorte said. He said an undercover agent who infiltrated the drug ring learned about the American side of the operation.
Canadian police declined to comment when asked whether the drug ring had sent previous shipments of marijuana to Raleigh."Some of those details are still under investigation," said Detective-Inspector Rick Penney with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "I can tell you it wasn't a first-time occurrence."The Toronto drug ring shipped the marijuana to Raleigh after receiving a $300,000 payment, said Donny Hanson, resident agent-in-charge of the DEA's Raleigh office. Canadian police identified Dang for Raleigh DEA agents.According to a search warrant filed this week at the Wake County Clerk of Court's Office, a surveillance team watched as Dang met a DEA undercover agent at O'Charley's restaurant March 19. While the two were in the restaurant, officers put a GPS tracker on Dang's BMW.Raleigh police and federal officers continued to watch as Dang and the agent left the restaurant and as Dang moved the marijuana from the agent's vehicle to the BMW, according to the search warrant. The officers then followed Dang home and surrounded his residence at Bexley at Brier Creek Luxury Apartment Homes.

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170 people charged Supplying the U.S. with about 15 per cent of the drug ecstasy

Police in Canada and the United States say they have smashed a drug ring that had been supplying the U.S. with about 15 per cent of the drug ecstasy.
In Canada, 29 people were arrested in Ottawa, including two in Montreal, and one in Toronto. A further eight arrests were made in Toronto and three additional arrest warrants have been issued. Those arrested here were among 170 people charged in both countries. Police say the ring was also involved in growing marijuana in Ottawa and Toronto. In all, there were three separate operations to bust the ring. Canadian police went after operations in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal that produced ecstasy pills and smuggled them to the United States, where they were so

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Montreal Mafia :(update)Nicolo Rizzuto, Paolo Renda, Rocco Sollecito, Francesco Arcadi, Lorenzo Giordino

New court documents allege cocaine-importing conspiracies that had ramifications in Montreal, Laval, Boucherville, Toronto and other places in Canada, as well as in the United States, Mexico, Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
As for the sixth presumed leader, Francesco Del Balso, he accepted before Christmas to be tried alone on the same charges as the other five.
For the 38 others who are accused of being linked to the drug importation ring working out of Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Aiport, their preliminary hearing will begin on Feb. 4 at a large courtroom in northeast Montreal built specifically for mega-trials.
All were rounded up during a large police sweep on Montreal's Italian Mafia in late 2006.
During the raid, which was dubbed Projet Colisee, police were able to seize 800 kilograms of cocaine, 40 kilograms of marijuana, $3.5 million cash and $3 million worth of real estate.

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Albano Andriano

Albano Andriano, 37, remains in custody today, a month after his arrest by the Toronto police fugitive squad.
His lawyer and a federal prosecutor made brief appearances in Superior Court on University Avenue today. They are scheduled to return to court on Feb. 18, when a date is expected to be set for extradition arguments to begin.
Andriano was arrested in mid-December by the Toronto police fugitive squad, who were acting on a request from Italian authorities.
According to Italian extradition documents, Adriano evaded custody on May 23, 2000, after being sentenced on April 13, 1999 to five years and four months for trafficking 1.5 kg of cocaine.
He's also wanted for prosecution on fresh drug trafficking charges, federal prosecutor Nancy Dennison said.
Italian authorities accuse Andriano of being tied to the Calabrian Mafia.
Andriano's lawyer, Cosmo Galluzzo, said it's not clear exactly what is meant when Andriano's accused of evading custody.
Galluzo said that extradition case can be complex, and last for years.
"They don't always have the right person," Galluzzo said. "They don't always have the right charge."
Galluzo declined to say how long Andriano lived in Woodbridge, or what he did to support himself.
"He's certainly employed," Galluzo said.
Asked how his client is adjusting to confinement in Canada, Galluzo replied; "He's reacting as anybody else would — anxious to get out."

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Ned Maodus

Ned Maodus, 44, has been convicted of soliciting sex from a prostitute and breaching a bail order.
Ned Maodus was out on bail at the time in the midst of a preliminary hearing on the corruption charges. Six veteran police officers with the Central Field Command drug squad are facing 40 criminal charges as a result of the RCMP-led investigation.
He is currently serving two years of house arrest and a two-year house arrest sentence for a separate assault conviction last year. He has been suspended without pay.
The charges facing the six officers include perjury, theft, extortion, assault causing bodily harm, and obstruction of justice.
None of the accusations have been proven in court.
Gary Clewley, a lawyer for the Toronto Police Association, has called the lawsuits nothing but a tool used by criminals to cast suspicion on police officers who are doing their jobs well.

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Shawn Anthony Vassel

Shawn Anthony Vassel, also known on the street as Buck or Buckshot, is now charged with the Dec. 2 slaying of Husam Dagheim, 27, who was shot in his car in a parking lot outside the Coliseum cinemas near Square One while his girlfriend watched in horror.
Police said earlier that they suspect Dagheim was targeted in a drug-deal ripoff.
Tristan Palmer, 19, surrendered to police last month and is charged with second-degree murder.
Norm English, head of the Peel Regional Police homicide squad, said a third suspect is still being sought in Dagheim's killing

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Nick Churchill

Nick Churchill, 33, of Fenelon Falls faces nine charges including charges of unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance and impersonating a police officer.

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Van Su Bui, Hoa Trung Nguyen, Tri Nguyen

Van Su Bui, 30, of Mississauga, Hoa Trung Nguyen, 42, of Toronto, and Tri Nguyen, 24, of Mississauga, have each been charged possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and production of marijuana. All three were held in custody for a court

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Richard Joseph Bye,

Richard Joseph Bye, of Charlotte Street, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking in cocaine, possession of a controlled substance, proceeds of crime and two breaches of recognizance.

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Philip Graham Reddick

Philip Graham Reddick of Albert Street, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking in crack cocaine, possession for the purpose of trafficking in marijuana, breach of an undertaking, and possession of proceeds of crime.

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Patrick Edward Osei-Bekoe

Patrick Edward Osei-Bekoe, 21, of Toronto is charged with possession for the purpose – crack cocaine, possession for the purpose – cocaine, possession of a controlled substance, proceeds of crime and possession of a prohibited weapon while prohibited.

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four kilos of coke smuggled in Christmas candles.

21-year-old visitor from Barbados was arrested Dec 11 after four kilograms of coke worth US $ 550,000 was found in the binding of a Bible and other books.
Another 21-year-old man who claimed to be visiting from St Vincent was arrested a day later arriving from Guyana with 2.5 kilos of coke worth about US $ 310,000 inside a Bible and in the false bottom of a suitcase.
"The covers of the Bibles are unglued or slit and drugs in flat plastic bags are placed inside," she said.
Giolti said officers became suspicious because the books were heavier than normal.
Both men have been charged with importing a controlled substance and are before the courts. They face deportation to the Caribbean if convicted, police said. Their names have not been released due to an ongoing probe.
Also two GTA women were arrested last week after six kilos of marijuana worth US $ 125,000 was found in coffee packs in their luggage arriving from Jamaica. Another woman was nabbed after arriving from St Vincent with four kilos of coke smuggled in Christmas candles.

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Toronto's Pearson International Airport. drug ring

TORONTO -- Eleven people have been charged in connection to what police say is an international drug ring, after a major bust occurred earlier this week at Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
On Thursday (July 19) the Toronto Airport Drug Enforcement Unit arrested and charged eight people with drug related offences in relation to the importation, exportation and trafficking of approximately 39 kilograms of ecstasy tablets, three kilograms of cocaine, eight pounds of marijuana and $106,000 cash, said a press release.
Since then, police have executed seven search warrants in connection with the dismantling of this "criminal ring operating between Canada and the United States," the release said.

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