{"id":235374,"date":"2025-09-18T03:11:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T03:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/235374\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T03:11:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T03:11:17","slug":"alberta-police-bust-15m-pure-cocaine-smuggling-operation-with-ties-to-mexican-cartels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/235374\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta police bust $15M pure cocaine smuggling operation with ties to Mexican cartels"},"content":{"rendered":"

A cross-border drug trafficking network has been dismantled after Alberta law enforcement made what it said was the bust of millions of dollars of nearly pure cocaine<\/a> \u2014 one of the largest drug seizures in Alberta history.<\/p>\n

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On Tuesday, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT)<\/a> shared details from a two-year, cross-border investigation called Project Cerberus \u2014 named after the multi-headed dog from Greek mythology that guards the gates of the underworld to prevent the dead from leaving.<\/p>\n

In total, six people were charged with offences related to organized crime<\/a>, conspiracy, money laundering, and drugs over the course of the year-and-a-half investigation.<\/p>\n

Beginning in May 2023, ALERT<\/a> said the investigation uncovered an organized crime group that was involved in extensive cross-border drug trafficking between Canada and the United States and had established ties to Mexican cartels.<\/p>\n

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The criminals were allegedly involved in getting cartel cocaine from Mexico. The drugs were then being smuggled into Canada and distributed across the country and to other criminal organizations using a fleet of vehicles ALERT said was equipped with sophisticated hidden compartments.<\/p>\n

Project Cerberus led to the seizure of 157 kg of cocaine which, if sold on the street, would have an estimated value of over $15 million.<\/p>\n

The cocaine tested at between 96-98 per cent purity, ALERT said.<\/p>\n

It was the agency\u2019s largest cocaine seizure and one of the largest in the province.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSome of the drugs and 157 kilograms of cocaine with a 96-98 per cent purity that was seized in Canada and the U.S. as part of a cross-border investigation into drugs being smuggled from Mexico to Alberta.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Law Enforcement Response Teams\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In addition to the record amount of cocaine seized, ALERT said it also seized\u00a015 firearms, nearly $1 million in cash and a fleet of seven vehicles equipped with hidden compartments used in drug smuggling operations.<\/p>\n

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The drugs were seized on two different occasions.<\/p>\n

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In March 2024, a 61-kg shipment of cocaine was seized via the Manitoba Roving Traffic Unit near Richer, Man. The cocaine was concealed inside a\u00a0 vehicle\u2019s hidden compartment.<\/p>\n

Then in October of the same year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration\u2019s Houston field division seized 96 kg of cocaine at a home in the Texas city.<\/p>\n

ALERT\u2019s investigation identified the home as a possible stash location for the criminals they were keeping tabs on and a Canadian man was arrested.<\/p>\n

Jack Kasjaniuk, 35, from Edmonton was charged with possession of drugs with the intent to distribute.<\/p>\n

Kasjaniuk had since pled guilty in the United States and on Sept. 8 was sentenced to 135 months in a federal prison by the Southern District of Texas Court.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSome of the drugs and 157 kilograms of cocaine with a 96-98 per cent purity that was seized in Canada and the U.S. as part of a cross-border investigation into drugs being smuggled from Mexico to Alberta.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Law Enforcement Response Teams\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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