1.5 tonnes of NB cocaine was destined for Ontario

The Toronto Star is reporting that "A Brantford man who runs a heavy equipment repair business has been charged in a massive cocaine importing bust that has allegedly taken almost $200 million of the drug off the streets of the GTA. The arrest was announced by the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police this week, almost a month after 1.5 tonnes of cocaine was seized by CBSA officers in Saint John, N.B. The shipment was destined for a heavy equipment business in Brantford, authorities said."

"Authorities didn’t say which crime groups were involved in the smuggling operation. The cocaine was travelling a winding route from Costa Rica, through Colombia, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic inside secret compartments in a large piece of machinery, authorities said."

"Five of the six people arrested in Brantford on Jan. 27 have since been freed with no charges. Kyle Alexander Purvis, 34, of Brantford was charged with importing a controlled substance into Canada and possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking."