Organized crime tied to seized drugs: cops
$30 million in cocaine seized
A $ 30- million cocaine bust smacks of organized crime and raises concerns about Niagara’s role in the illegal drug trade, a Niagara Regional Police detective says.
Det. Staff Sgt. Joseph Maggiolo said Friday’s haul of 110 kilograms of pure, uncut cocaine — Niagara’s largest-ever drug haul — is too big not to be connected to a criminal organization. The fact the narcotics made it into the country speaks to the sophis- tication of the operation, he said.
“Organized crime does have a hand in this,” he said during a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday, pointing to the cache of cocaine. “This in front of us is a lot of power and a lot of money.”
Under heavily armed guard, police displayed rows of packaged cocaine wrapped in carbon paper and plastic. The bricks of cocaine were stacked on a large table flanked by three large hockey equipment bags. Police said the bags and a backpack crammed with cocaine were discovered during a raid at 10 Davidson St. Unit 3, in St. Catharines Friday. Maggiolo said codes “RB,” “Mustang” and “CH” scrawled in black marker on the packages of cocaine are being deciphered.
“It’s a very elaborate and a very sophisticated system they’ve set up,” he said, noting it appears the packages were headed for different destinations. Police believe the cocaine originated in South America. It’s doubtful all of the cocaine would have stayed in Niagara.
Maggiolo said the size of the drug operation indicates this area is being used in the movement of large amounts of narcotics.
While police are aware the region’s location near numerous border crossings and waterways makes it a thoroughfare in the international drug trade, the detective was still shocked by the enormity of Friday’s haul.
“I would never in my lifetime have thought we were that important to have a seizure of this magnitude,” he said.
Local officers are more accustomed to seizing five to 10 kilos of drugs during large-scale busts, he said.
He pointed to Project Takeout in 2010 where police broke a multimillion-dollar drug trafficking ring with a network that extended from Colombia to Spain to Niagara.
The most recent raid is confirmation of Niagara’s ongoing, large-scale use by drug runners, he said.
“Of course, this is going to be a major concern for us,” Maggiolo said. “Are we going to be considered a depot for drugs going over the river? I can see that happening.”
Police are actively trying to determine where exactly the drugs seized Friday originated, where they were destined and who else is involved.
“This investigation is still ongoing. We are going to get to the bottom of this seizure,” he said.
Officers executed five search warrants — at three Niagara Falls homes, Artwood Flooring in St. Catharines and 10 Davidson St., Unit 3.
From 1999 to 2004, a different unit in the Davidson St. property was used by police to store seized evidence, including paraphernalia from the drug trade. It was a little-known police warehouse, rented for the service by Niagara Region, Const. Paul Day said.
Police said Friday’s bust wasn’t a long- term investigation, it was initiated recently.
Police Chief Wendy Southall said tips to Crime Stoppers contributed to the investigation.
“The seizure will save lives, ensuring a large quantity of drugs will stay off the streets,” she said.
Maggiolo said there’s no doubt this will have a significant impact on drug dealers and will likely mean users will have to pay more.
“There’s going to be a dent within the cocaine trade,” he said. “We don’t know how deep it goes.”
The cocaine s ei z ed will be destroyed once all the evidence has been processed.
Brothers Frank Anthony Alessio, 32, and Angelo Alessio, 34, both of Niagara Falls, are charged with one count each of cocaine possession for the purpose of trafficking. They are scheduled to have bail hearings Feb. 23.