$630,000 Drug Bust

(OAKVILLE, ON) – More than 11.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 123 kilograms of cannabis has been seized after a joint forces Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) investigation.

The Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST), Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Peel Regional Police (PRP), Toronto Police Service (TPS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commenced this investigation in February 2024 after information led them to a network of individuals involved in drug trafficking, including the exportation of illegal cannabis and suspected cocaine.

In May 2024, two search warrants were executed, where the investigative team seized a total of 11.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 123 kilograms of illegal cannabis concealed within shipping containers at the Port of Montreal. The estimated street-value of the drugs seized is $630,000.

On June 27, 2024, members from the BEST executed seven search warrants in Niagara Falls, Oakville, Brampton and Kitchener with the assistance of the OPP Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit (PAFU), OPP-led Provincial Guns and Gangs Enforcement Team (PGNG), OPP-led Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU), OPP Urban Search & Rescue, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear & Explosive Response Team (UCRT), OPP Digital Forensics and uniform members from the Cambridge, Niagara and Mississauga OPP Detachments as well as CBSA, PRP, TPS and the RCMP.

Darko TAMBUR, age 37 of Niagara Falls, and Damir DEDIC, age 53 of Kitchener, have each been charged with the following offences contrary to the CDSA and Cannabis Act:

•         Trafficking Schedule I Substance
•         Exporting Schedule I Substance
•         Importing and Exporting Cannabis

TAMBUR was arrested and released and is scheduled for a first appearance on August 12, 2024, in Milton. An arrest warrant has been issued for DEDIC.

The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information about suspicious cross-border activity, please contact the CBSA Border Watch Line at 1-888-502-9060.

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