Over 14 kg of suspected cocaine found in commercial aircraft at Toronto Pearson

A Canadian Border Services agent stands watch at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese)

Over 14 kg of suspected cocaine was found in an aircraft at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Nov. 3, 2023, according to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The CBSA says that border services officers examined a commercial plane arriving from the Caribbean when they found 12 rectangular packages in the plane’s rear cargo hold. A field test confirmed that the contents were suspected cocaine.

“Another great seizure by the Canadian Border Services Agency team at Toronto Pearson,” Lisa Janes, Regional Director General at the Canada Border Services Agency in the Greater Toronto Area said in a news release. “They work around the clock to make sure illicit drugs don’t cross our borders, keeping Canadians safe.”

According to the CBSA, the seizure accounted for an estimated $1.8 million worth of narcotics.

The CBSA said officers in the Greater Toronto Area made 49 cocaine seizures between Jan. 2023 to the end of Oct. 2023 with a total weight of almost 245 kg.

The RCMP was contacted following the Nov. 3 seizure and took custody and control of the evidence.