Twenty-one people, including two Hamilton residents, have been arrested in connection with a 16-months long intelligence-led investigation into a drug trafficking network.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and London Police Service launched Project Gainsborough in June 2020 after police became aware of the large-scale distribution of illegal cannabis and cannabis derivatives, as well as the trafficking of cocaine, in the London area.

“Police were able to identify a sophisticated criminal organization responsible for operating an illegal cannabis website with delivery service in London, Kitchener, Hamilton and Toronto,” said OPP in a news release. “The members and associates of this criminal organization have also been involved in the exportation of illegal cannabis and cannabis derivatives to numerous locations domestically and worldwide, including Europe and South America.”

Police located two clandestine cannabis extraction labs located in Brampton and Middlesex County.

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