RCMP arrest 4 in Ottawa after investigation into shipping drugs via Canada Post

An RCMP cruiser is seen in this file photo.

The RCMP says four Ottawa residents have been charged following a 10-month-long investigation into international drug trafficking that used Canada Post services.

Mounties say people were shipping drugs such as methamphetamines and cocaine across Canada and to more than a dozen countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Austria, India and Ireland.

In a news release Thursday, the RCMP said officers searched a home in the Findlay Creek area of Ottawa on Oct. 22, and seized nearly 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamines, 200 hydromorphone pills, cocaine, and other substances with an estimated street value of $166,000.

• RELATED: 86 packages containing drugs seized at Canada Post location in Ottawa

“This operation underscores the RCMP’s commitment to combating organized crime, protecting Canadian communities, and working with international partners to stop the flow of harmful substances in and out of the country,” said RCMP Supt. Jonathan Ko in the release.

The investigation included collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency, the RCMP said.

Canada Post said in a statement it was not directly involved in the investigation, but takes the safety and security of the mail very seriously.

“Acting within the ambit of the Canada Post Corporation Act, we remain committed to supporting the efforts of our law enforcement partners to stem the transmission of non-mailable matter through the mail,” a spokesperson said.

“While we were not directly involved with this investigation, our team of highly trained Postal Inspectors works closely with local and regional police and nationally with the RCMP collaborating to maximize efforts to protect Canadians.”

Four Ottawa residents are facing charges.

Ian Murray, 43, is charged with:

• Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence — Exportation of a controlled substance
• Commission of offence for a Criminal Organization — Instructing
• Four counts of Trafficking a controlled Substance (cocaine)
• Four counts of Possession for the purpose of trafficking

Ellysha Garand, 36, is charged with:

• Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence — Exportation of a controlled substance
• Commission of offence for a Criminal Organization — Participating
• Eight counts of Trafficking a controlled Substance (cocaine)
• Four counts of Possession for the purpose of trafficking
• Possession of property obtained by crime

Mikias Mekonen, 41, is charged with:

• Commission of offence for a criminal organization — Participating
• 17 counts of trafficking a controlled substance (hydromorphone and cocaine)
• Possession of property obtained by crime

Aseel Al-Taee, 50, is charged with:

• 2 counts of trafficking a controlled substance

The RCMP says Murray and Mekonen were both released on bail. Garand was remanded and had a bail review on Wednesday. Al-Taee was released by police on an undertaking and is next due to appear in an Ottawa court on March 3, 2026.

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