Canada police bust trucks carrying $47M in cocaine; $1.6M in stolen electronics recovered in US

Canadian investigators recently arrested nine men for using trucks to smuggle cocaine from the U.S. into Canada; while police in Arizona recovered a truckload carrying $1.6 million worth of stolen cargo; and freight theft cases in Illinois and Kentucky surged in April.

Investigators bust network using cross-border trucks to carry cocaine into Toronto

Canadian authorities said Tuesday they have arrested nine men following the seizure of $47.9 million worth of bricked cocaine, the largest drug bust in Peel Regional Police history.

The arrests follow a year-long international investigation into a transnational organized crime network smuggling drugs using tractor-trailers from the U.S. into the Toronto area, according to a news release.

“Thanks to the leadership of Peel Regional Police, and the support of national and international law enforcement agencies … a transnational criminal network is no longer operating or flooding our communities with illicit drugs from the United States,” Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said in a statement. “Organized crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety.”

Peel, located about 24 miles from Toronto, is considered the heart of the trucking industry in the area. It is in Ontario, a province in east-central Canada that borders the U.S.

Peel investigators began looking into a cocaine smuggling operation in June 2024 that was using commercial vehicles to carry the drugs from the U.S. into Canada.

Over the course of a six month investigation, Peel authorities linked multiple individuals, trucking companies, and storage sites to the transnational smuggling operation.

The nine men arrested in connection to the case are from the Ontario area. They face 35 criminal charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offences. Two loaded semi-automatic handguns were also recovered, police said.

Police said the accused men were held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Canada.

Truck carrying $1.6 million worth of electronics recovered in Arizona

Supply chain risk management firm Overhaul recently worked with law enforcement to recover a full truckload of stolen electronics after the tractor-trailer carrying the load was taken from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

The theft occurred when the shipment was fraudulently uplifted from the airport, Overhaul said in a news release. 

Instead of being delivered to its intended destination in Childress, Texas, the cargo was transported through New Mexico and eventually into Arizona. 

The tractor-trailer was located in Flagstaff, Arizona, where state troopers successfully initiated a traffic stop. During the stop, authorities discovered three individuals in the tractor, two of whom were identified as drivers. All three subjects were arrested at the scene. 

Further investigation revealed that two of the subjects were in the country illegally, Overhaul said.

The trailer and its cargo, valued at $1.6 million, were recovered intact and returned to its owner.

Cargo theft surged in April in Illinois, Kentucky

New data from GearTrack’s Cargo Security Index and Verisk’s CargoNet shows California, Texas, and Illinois accounted for 68% of cargo theft incidents in April, according to a news release.

Cargo theft cases in Illinois during April were up 81% month-over-month, while cases in Kentucky skyrocketed 200% month-over-month.

Cargo theft cases in Florida declined by 44% in April compared to March.

Electronics, vehicles, and apparel were the top targets of cargo thieves – including a stolen shipment of bitcoin mining computers valued at $2.7 million discovered at the Los Angeles International Airport.

“Recent tariffs on imported vehicles and auto components may also be contributing to a rise in vehicle related thefts,” according to the Cargo Security Index.

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