A man faces multiple charges after Toronto police discovered a drug den at a townhouse in Richmond Hill last week.
York Regional Police said in a press release that police were alerted around 9.30pm and went to a home near 16 AVE and Broadview Ave.
When police arrived, they found a man inside the townhouse. Further investigation revealed that the residence was being used as a secret drug lab and that "hundreds of suspected oxycodone pills are being actively suppressed," police said. It is a type of drug.
The police searched with a warrant and seized 23 kilograms of various powders, 781 liters of liquid, more than 34,000 items and pill-making utensils. Police also seized multiple rounds of 9 mm caliber ammunition.
According to information released by the police, the total value of the seized drugs on the street exceeded 1 million yuan.
Zoltan Mootoo, a 35-year-old resident of Richmond Hill, faces eight charges, including three counts of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, police said. Police said Mutu was on probation at the time of his arrest and had been released on bail.
As early as 2018, some Chinese were arrested for making drugs in Markham. In 2018, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) smashed the largest methamphetamine factory in the Greater Toronto Area, releasing kilograms of drugs and drug-making tools. DURING THE OPERATION, THE MOUNTED POLICE ARRESTED A 36-YEAR-OLD CHINESE MAN DA HAI LI AND CHARGED HIM WITH A NUMBER OF DRUG-RELATED OFFENCES.
Including: manufacturing controlled substances, possession of controlled substances for drug trafficking purposes, contravention of the Controlled Drugs and Articles Act.
The RCMP said that after months of investigation, on August 22, 2018, the RCMP's Clandestine Lab Enforcement Team obtained a search warrant from the court and went to a commercial unit on Venture Avenue in Richmond Hill to uncover a large-scale methamphetamine, also known as a methamphetamine factory.
During the operation, the Police seized several kilograms of drugs, including two kilograms of methamphetamine and a batch of drug-making tools, which were used in large quantities to produce methamphetamine chemicals.
Senior Inspector Gord Cobey, head of the RCMP's Western District Organized Crime Bureau in Toronto, said that preventing the illegal manufacture of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, is a top priority for the RCMP, and the operation was coordinated by the Toronto Police and York Region Police. Then, in 2019, York Regional Police seized a $45 million drug den and arrested nearly 50 people.
At that time, most regional police officers, led by York Regional Police, carried out Operation Moon and Moon Project and Zen Project, both of which were to combat drug crime in the Toronto area.
In Operation Zen, York police worked with the Canada Border Agency to lure a big drug lord out of a house in Vaughan. It is reported that in order to arrest the drug lord, the police spent a whole year. After being arrested near a drug dealer's house, police found 3 kilograms of cocaine on his body, after which the police began to focus on the house. In the months that followed, police found evidence that several suspects were trafficking large quantities of synthetic drugs.
After searching the house, police found a pistol, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine pills and five kilograms of fentanyl. According to police, this is the largest seizure of drugs ever in York Region.
Meanwhile, Operation Moon spans southern Ontario and involves the cooperation of multiple police forces, including the Toronto and Ontario Police Departments.
"The suspect financed his synthetic drug business by abusing Health Canada's medical marijuana licensing system by producing and selling illegal cannabis," the police said. The RCMP appeals to the public to contact their local police or call the RCMP if they find or suspect any criminal activity