Police bust major cocaine smuggling ring in Ontario

On Wednesday, July 13th the London and Windsor Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment Drug Sections with the assistance of London Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Ontario Provincial Police and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration from Los Angeles, Detroit and El Paso dismantled an alleged drug trafficking organization suspected of operating a drug pipeline from Mexico that travelled through the United States and into South Western Ontario.

Initiated in the fall of 2010, Project OMEN has culminated in the arrest of two Essex County residents in possession of 10 kilograms of cocaine in Detroit, Michigan by US Authorities. The RCMP, with the assistance of the OPP arrested one Toronto resident and three additional Essex County residents.

The following individuals have been charged for Conspiracy to Import cocaine into Canada from the United States. All three will be appearing in Windsor Provincial Courts today for a bail hearing. Issak BANMAN (age 32) resident of Leamington Ontario Frank KLASSEN (age 46) resident of Leamington, Ontario Khoaphone SYCHANTHA (age 30) resident of Toronto, Ontario.