Peel Regional Police, working with national and international partners, have dismantled a transnational organized criminal network trafficking illicit drugs into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The investigation, Project Pelican, marks the largest drug seizure in the service’s history – with nearly $50 million worth of cocaine seized.
In June 2024, Peel Regional Police began investigating a cocaine smuggling operation using U.S.-Canada commercial trucking routes. By November, working with partners including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Border Enforcement Task Force in Detroit, multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites linked to the operation were identified.
As of June 6, the following men were arrested and charged in connection with the investigation, totaling 35 charges related to firearm and drug offences:
1-Hao Tommy Huynh, 27-year-old, Mississauga
2-Sajgith Yogendra rajah, 31-year-old, Toronto
3-Manpreet Singh, 44-year-old, Brampton
4-Philip Tep, 39-year-old, Hamilton
5-Arvinder Powar, 29-year-old, Brampton
6-Karamjit Singh, a 36-year-old man, Caledon
7-Gurtej Singh, a 36-year-old man, Caledon
8-Sartaj Singh 27-year-old man, Cambridge
9-Shiv Onkar Singh, 31-year-old man, Georgetown
Over the course of the investigation, the following was seized:
479 kilograms of bricked cocaine, with an estimated street value of $47.9M
Two illegal loaded semi-automatic handguns
The accused were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.
The successful completion of Project Pelican was made possible through funding provided by the Ontario Government, Ministry of the Solicitor General in which the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario supported this investigation.Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact investigators in the Specialized Enforcement Bureau at (905)453-2121 Ext. 3515. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.
“Protecting Ontario doesn’t mean anything — it means absolutely everything. Project Pelican is proof of what police can accomplish when they have the tools and resources needed to keep our communities safe. Our government is proud to have supported Peel Regional Police through investments in the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario and the Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy. This historic seizure sends a clear message to organized crime: you will find no safe haven in Ontario.”