KITCHENER, Ont. — Three men from Ontario face drug trafficking charges after they smuggled cocaine into the country through the Port of Saint John.
Kitchener RCMP say the Federal Police Transnational Serious and Organized Crime team unravelled the sophisticated international drug importation scheme.
Mounties say the Canada Border Service Agency tracked a shipping container going from Central America to Saint John in December 2021, imported by a Brantford, Ont., resident.
“In early January 2022, border services officers in Saint John, New Brunswick, seized more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed within industrial machinery,” reads the statement from Kitchener RCMP.
“The total value of the seized cocaine on the current illicit market was approximately $198 million.”
Investigators say the Kitchener RCMP and Brantford Police executed search warrants in Brantford, Ont., and New Hamburg, Ont. and charged three men.
Kyle Alexander Purvis, 35, faces charges for importing Cocaine contrary to Section 6(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and possession for the purpose of Trafficking.
Meanwhile, 42-year-old Adam Kaup, of New Hamburg, and 47-year-old Vincenzo Capotorto, of Brantford, were charged with unlawfully importing Cocaine and conspiracy to import Cocaine.
London- Kitchener RCMP Insp. L. De Simone said the volume and value of the seizure represent significant financial setbacks to gangs and organized crime that victimize Canadians by trafficking.
“These results speak to the continuous efforts and commitments the RCMP and our partners bring to public safety,” said De Simone.
Police say Capotorto has a court date on Jan. 19, while Kaup will appear on Jan. 20, both at the Brantford Courthouse. They did not outline if Purvis will appear before a judge.
The RCMP TSOC team, with the assistance of @CanBorder, @BrantfordPolice and #FINTRAC, have unraveled a sophisticated international drug importation scheme leading to multiple charges against three individuals. https://t.co/0ittXWc33v #Ontario #ODivision #RCMP #FederalPolicing pic.twitter.com/5TNtBgntDx
— RCMP in Ontario (@RCMPONT) January 18, 2023