Women promised ‘large sums of money’ to smuggle drugs out of Canada’s biggest airport: police

Two men face charges in connection with an alleged international drug smuggling scheme in which the Mounties and border services officers say women were recruited to get illegal substances out of Canada through the country’s biggest and busiest airport.

The “criminal operation” used online classified advertisements and the promise of “large sums of money” — as much as $20,000 — to find women who were willing to smuggle illegal drugs through Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga and out of the country, the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency said Monday in a joint news release.

Authorities said the nine-month investigation began after two Canadian women were arrested in Nigeria for attempting to transport cannabis into the country.

The RCMP and federal border services agency said the women were detained in the African nation after having been recruited in Canada through ads posted on the classifieds website “LeoList” that targeted women aged 20 to 65.

“The ads promised up to $20,000 in exchange for travelling in and out of Canada while carrying illicit drugs,” the federal law enforcement agencies said in their news release.

Be cautious when responding to online ads, authorities say

They added that as their investigation continued, RCMP and CBSA officers disrupted the alleged smuggling scheme “before an additional illicit shipment of 29 kilograms of cannabis could leave Canada.”

In the wake of their probe, the Mounties and border services officers urge people to be wary “when responding to online ads for job offers that promise large sums of money with little explanation and require international travel.”

RCMP officers at Toronto Pearson Airport recently made two arrests as part of their investigation.

Charles Adewoye, 48, of Toronto, is charged with exportation of cannabis and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

Shamaarke Jafar Ismail, 25, of the United Kingdom, is charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of exporting, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.

Both were released on bail and are scheduled to appear again in court on Jan. 16.

Law enforcement agencies work together, CBSA says

RCMP Supt. Dale Foote said some illegal drug smuggling operations target “vulnerable individuals” and that people should be cautious.

“The recruitment of unsuspecting community members for high-risk criminal activity is deeply concerning, and we are committed to pursuing anyone who engages in this behaviour,” said Foote.

Lisa Janes, the CBSA’s regional director general for the Greater Toronto Area, said the border services agency works closely with law enforcement in Canada and abroad to target criminal activity.

“Information sharing with our partners is vital to border security and contributes to tackling head-on the international organized crime problem of networks operating across many countries,” Janes said.