MONTREAL - The RCMP says it has arrested four men who allegedly smuggled massive amounts of cocaine into Canada in the last decade.
Three men were picked up in morning raids Tuesday in the Montreal area while the fourth is already in jail on other charges, RCMP said.
RCMP Insp. Michel Arcand said the men have imported at least 35 tons of cocaine into Canada between 1996 and 2004.
He said they are also suspected of transporting an estimated 25 tons of cocaine from Texas to New York in 2002-2003.
Arcand described the scope of the case as "immense.''
"We're talking about 60 tons of cocaine here,'' he said.
"We have four individuals that were arrested, but the size of the product involved is enormous if you look at it. They are major importers from Colombia and Mexico toward Canada and the U.S.
"We're talking large amounts -- 60 tons of cocaine, we don't see that very often in one file.''
The suspects are all Canadian citizens.
While the federal force put the total trafficked by the group at 60 tons, that amount has not been seized.
Smaller quantities measuring in the thousands of kilograms were impounded by U.S. and Canadian authorities during the investigation.
Arcand said the men will face charges including cocaine trafficking, importing and conspiracy charges. The men were to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.
Police believe the drugs were made in Colombia and then transported to Mexico before being smuggled into the United States.
The cocaine was then shipped to New York or Montreal to be sold to Italian Mafia families or outlaw bikers.
The RCMP said the traffickers got a $1,000 commission for each kilogram sold.
The federal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit made the arrests as part of an investigation started in 2006 after a tip from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
No arrests have been made yet in the U.S.
The RCMP joint task force also included Quebec provincial police, Montreal police, the Canada Revenue Agency, Canada Border Services Agency and the federal Justice Department.
