Dozens of charges laid after $139M in illegal drugs seized in southern Ontario bust involving CBSA

Low-level truckers serving as couriers all the way up to top-tier brokers co-ordinating an international drug operation are among the individuals arrested in one of the largest drug seizure investigations in Ontario, according to provincial police.

The outcome of the 18-month Project Bay investigation was unveiled Thursday in Windsor by several police agencies across Ontario.

Roughly 1.7 tonnes of illegal drugs, mostly cocaine and methamphetamines, were seized. They have a street value of $139 million.

“The drugs in this room are not ending up in the hands of our communities’ vulnerable population,” said Windsor police Chief Jason Crowley. “The firearms in this room are not sowing chaos in our communities.”

Police also seized 17 weapons, including a massive anti-tank rifle.

“It is very rare,” said Andy Bradford, OPP acting detective superintendent. “This is a military ordinance. It has no legitimate civilian application.

“The fact that it [was] in the hands of organized drug traffickers is a concerning public safety issue.”

More than 20 search warrants were executed across Ontario over the last two months. Nineteen people were arrested and face more than 100 charges. Most of those individuals were from Brampton, but others lived in locations such as Toronto, Kitchener and Barrie.

The two individuals who are outstanding are from Windsor.

Investigation began in Windsor last year

The drug seizures culminate what began as a Windsor police drug trafficking investigation in January 2025.

It quickly led to local officers realizing the much larger magnitude of the investigation, prompting Windsor police to work with Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

In early 2026, the Toronto Police Service was investigating criminal networks in the Greater Toronto Area.

Toronto police said they quickly realized they were investigating the same suspects as officers working on Project Bay.

That led to Toronto police, alongside the Peel Regional Police Service, to join the bigger investigation with Windsor police, the OPP and the CBSA.

Since police say the drugs seized in Canada had connections to parts of the southwestern U.S., the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration also assisted with Project Bay.

Criminals used commercial transportation sector: police

The investigation uncovered a “broker-style model within the commercial transportation sector” where drivers “knowingly transport concealed drugs within commercial loads,” said Bradford.

“I want to be clear that the overwhelming majority of individuals and businesses operating within the trucking and transportation industry are law-abiding professionals who play a critical role in our economy,” said Bradford.

“However, criminal networks will attempt to exploit any vulnerability they perceive to further their criminal activity.”

Police said the Project Bay investigation is largely concluded, but hope the intelligence gathered here will lead to more arrests and seizures.

“This type of work is particularly important for the Windsor community,” said Crowley. “As a border city, we are not just combatting local crime — we’re combatting crime that moves across international boundaries.”

Some of the drugs were also detected at the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, Ont., CBSA said.

With the Gordie Howe International Bridge expected to open on Monday, the CBSA says it will monitor shifts in traffic patterns and use new technology to detect illegal drugs at the border.

“On the positive side, it’s going to be the most futuristic port of entry we have in terms of technology, in terms of detection equipment, in terms of personnel and the ability we will have at that location to interdict narcotics, firearms and other items,” said Michael Prosia, CBSA regional director general of the southern Ontario region.