Deadly drug smuggled into Canada from Europe; Mounties at Toronto Pearson investigate

Three people face numerous drug smuggling and other charges after the Mounties at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga launched an investigation following the arrival in Canada of an amount of a lethal drug worth an estimated $225,000.

Authorities say a shipment containing 5.59 kilograms of concealed ketamine, a dangerous and potentially deadly anesthetic drug, arrived in Montreal on Aug. 28 from Belgium.

The illegal package was intercepted by Canada Border Services Agency officers, who then alerted the RCMP to the smuggled drugs estimated to be worth some $225,000.

The drugs were handed over to the Mounties before they could reach their intended destination in the Scarborough area of Toronto, the RCMP said in a news release Friday afternoon.

The RCMP’s Toronto Pearson Airport detachment subsequently “conducted an investigation into the shipment and suspected importers,” with their probe leading to three arrests, police said.

Three people, all of Toronto, face numerous charges that include possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and alleged weapons offences, the RCMP said.

One of the suspects also faces a charge of importing a controlled substance into Canada. That person remains in custody pending a court appearance scheduled for Monday.

The other two people charged were released on bail with multiple conditions, police said.

A search warrant executed at a Toronto home after the arrests led to the seizure by the RCMP of “a significant quantity of illicit substances in both powder and pill form,” authorities said in their news release.

Officers also recovered drug paraphernalia, a handgun, stun batons, various electronic devices and a Lexus SUV.

Insp. John McMath, officer in charge of the RCMP’s Toronto airport detachment, said the seizure is just one example of the “many ways” illegal drugs are imported into Canada from around the world.

It also highlights the “increasing exploitation of courier and postal services to smuggle illegal drugs into Canada,” he added, noting the seizure has prevented a large amount of dangerous drugs “from reaching our communities.”

Following several ketamine busts earlier this year at Pearson, McMath described that drug as “a strong anesthetic,” adding its use “has been the cause of many deaths in Canada. The RCMP is acting to protect Canadians from dangerous drugs that harm our communities. The importation of a narcotic like ketamine is a serious offence … and a conviction may result in a lengthy prison sentence.”

Police have also described ketamine as an odorless and colourless drug used as a medical anesthetic in liquid form. However, it’s often illicitly sold in powder form, authorities say.

“There are several mental, physical and long-term effects associated with taking ketamine. When taken, it can distort how an individual experiences sight and sound, and interferes with one’s ability to perceive pain. Due to these effects, it can sometimes be used to commit sexual assault,” the Canada Border Services Agency said earlier this year, adding “ketamine is a lethal substance that poses a significant risk to the safety of Canadians.”