US, Canada smash drug ring with Asian link
AFP, Washington
At least 171 suspects were arrested in the United States and Canada early Wednesday, as police in both countries smashed a lucrative ecstasy and marijuana smuggling ring that allegedly funneled profits back to Asia. Drugs and cash worth more than 40 million dollars have been seized both north and south of the border, US and Canadian police said. More than 130 suspects were arrested in United States as part of a sweep dubbed "Operation Candy Box," US officials said. In Canada the crackdown went under two different code names, Project Okapi in Toronto and Project Codi in Ottawa. The network ringleaders were arrested in Canada, include Ze Wai Wong, 46, a Chinese national picked up in Toronto, and Mai Phuong Le, 38, a Vietnamese national arrested in Ottawa. US and Canadian indictments allege Wong was the leader of a drug distribution ring operating in 18 US cities and Canada, and accuse Le of laundering the proceeds through bank accounts around the world, including Vietnam. Canadian police said they arrested at least 12 in Toronto and 29 in Ottawa, while US officials said more than 130 were arrested across the United States. "Through the work of many different agencies, we have achieved a top to bottom decimation of a dangerous drug organization and a complimentary attack on the fuel that drives the organization -- their money," said US Deputy Attorney General James Comey in a statement.
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