A two-year investigation by Manitoba and Ontario RCMP into the smuggling and trafficking of cocaine into Canada from Mexico has resulted in the arrest of four people.
Police say the group was moving large amounts of cocaine into the country using sophisticated concealment methods to cross international borders undetected.
Officers seized more than two kilograms of cocaine over the course of the investigation.
A search warrant was executed Thursday at a rural property near Rosenort, Manitoba. Ontario police agencies also executed warrants in the Leamington area as part of the investigation.
The following men face several drug-related and trafficking charges:
Frank Banman, 35, of Rosenort, Daniel Tiessen, 48, Jacob Thiessen, 29, and Jay Shanks, 56, all of Leamington, Ontario.
The three Ontario men also face charges of conspiracy to kidnap.
“The result of this joint investigation demonstrates that provincial and international borders do not insulate organized crime from prosecution,” said Inspector Tim Olmstead of the Manitoba RCMP. “This also re-enforces the fact that the RCMP and its partner agencies work effectively together to keep illicit drugs out of our communities.”
