Guilty verdicts in international Niagara-based cocaine operation

A jury in Welland took less than four hours to find two men guilty for their roles in an international Niagara-based crime ring where cocaine-filled granite boulders were imported from Mexico.

Jeffrey Kompon, 46, and Vito Buffone, 53, of Caledon, had pleaded not guilty in a Superior Court of Justice to possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to import. Kompon, a Welland resident, had also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of possession of the proceeds of crime.

The trial, before Judge James Ramsay, lasted more than three months. Deliberations began Monday afternoon and the jury returned with guilty verdicts after less than four hours. Kompon and Buffone will return to court later this month for sentencing.

Court was told the cocaine was smuggled in boulders imported from Mexico and Brazil as building materials for kitchen countertops and other uses.

The cocaine was imported into Canada at Montreal and other border points in Ontario and taken to a warehouse in Port Colborne where the drugs were extracted from the boulders. The cocaine was then transported to various locations in the Toronto area.

Kompon and Buffone were among 14 people arrested when police conducted a series of early morning raids on Sept. 22, 2014, said Niagara Regional Police Det. Sgt. Shawn Clarkson.

About 200 officers from seven law enforcement agencies executed 30 search warrants simultaneously across southern Ontario. Police seized more than $1.2 million in cocaine.

Niagara police contend the crime ring brought more than one metric tonne of cocaine into Niagara in less than two years.

“This is probably the most significant drug trial in Niagara in my memory,” said Clarkson, who has been with the police service for more than 30 years.

“It was an international operation involving the United States, Mexico and Canada.”

The operation included associates of the Sinaloa crime cartel in Mexico.

Also seized during the raid was $250,000 worth of marijuana, $430,000 cash, $400,000 in watches and other jewelry, a handgun and two shotguns.

Thirteen high-end vehicles were also seized including a Ferrari and 1979 Porsche worth about $500,000.

The investigation, dubbed Project Roadmaster, began in 2013 and by early 2014 it had expanded to include the Canada Border Services Agency, the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and police services in Toronto and Peel and the United States.

The other individuals arrested in connection with Project Roadmaster have already been dealt with in the courts. Several had charges withdrawn, while most received jail terms of between 18 months and 18 years.

Two people who are believed to be associated with the cartel received 17- and 18-year terms behind bars, respectively.

Kompon and Buffone, Clarkson said, were in the “upper echelon” in terms of their involvement in the crime ring.

The trial was prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, a government agency created in 2006 to prosecute federal offences such as organized crime, drugs, money laundering and proceeds of crime.

“We thank all of our partners, especially the Public Prosecution Service of Canada who was there with us from the start,” Clarkson added.