Ontario Police’s Record Fentanyl Bust Suggests Cartel–Iranian–PRC-Supplied Nexus from Ottawa to Hamilton Along Six Nations Corridor
OTTAWA — In a pair of sweeping investigations unveiled yesterday, the Ontario Provincial Police announced the largest fentanyl seizure in the force’s history—more than 43.5 kilograms of deadly synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, carfentanil, and precursor substances—enough to generate over 435,000 potentially lethal street doses. Nearly 20 suspects were arrested and more than 200 criminal charges laid in connection with the operations, codenamed Project Bionic and Project Golden.
The twin probes targeted sophisticated fentanyl trafficking networks that stretched across southern Ontario, extending northeast into the nation’s capital, Ottawa, and penetrating the national mail and courier systems. The seizures—made in locations ranging from Hamilton-area homes to Ottawa postal depots—come amid mounting warnings from U.S. security officials that Canadian territory is increasingly being exploited by Mexican and Chinese cartel networks, often intertwined with Iranian state-aligned trafficking and laundering operations.
The Bureau, a leading authority on North American fentanyl trafficking and Canada’s structural vulnerabilities, has reported extensively on Chinese-run illegal marijuana operations and cartel-affiliated smuggling corridors spanning British Columbia, Quebec, and Indigenous territories in southern Ontario. These networks operate near Hamilton and Six Nations and extend eastward through the Ottawa-Cornwall corridor to the New York State border, where key enforcement actions linked to Project Bionic and Golden were concentrated.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique called the busts historic in scope.
“Although these two investigations are independent, they both resulted in alarming seizures of fentanyl and reveal a complex level of drug trafficking,” he said at a press conference in Orillia. “These operations occurred at opposite ends of our province, which underscores that this is a province-wide public safety issue.”
“Between these investigations, there was a staggering 43 kilos of fentanyl seized,” Carrique added, “which equates to about 435,000 potentially lethal street doses.”
Launched in November 2024 by the OPP Covert Internet Intelligence Unit, Project Bionic was the force’s first major dark web narcotics probe. The investigation—led by the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau—targeted a trafficking operation that processed high volumes of drug orders via encrypted marketplaces. Investigators found that packages were being shipped across Canada using both courier services and Canada Post. The digital reach of the network spanned nearly the entire country: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.
On Monday, March 10, 2025, OPP officers arrested two individuals at a Canada Post location in Ottawa and seized 86 packages containing various drugs ready to be shipped across the country. The raids yielded more than 27 kilograms and 64,000 tablets, representing 37 different illegal drugs and diverted prescription medications, including fentanyl, hydromorphone, methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, and others. Officers also seized $95,000 in cash, a firearm, and two stolen luxury vehicles. Among them was a stolen 2018 Ferrari 488 Spider convertible, valued at over $400,000. Investigators also recovered fraudulent licence plates and reprogrammable key fobs, highlighting the operation’s links to broader auto theft and financial crime networks.
Later that month, police recovered an additional 11 stolen vehicles. Four Ottawa-area individuals were arrested and now face a total of 85 charges.
Among those charged was 26-year-old Amr Hammami, who faces 56 counts under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Charges include possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition, laundering proceeds of crime, and trafficking or possession for the purpose of trafficking in fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA, ketamine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, alprazolam, and methylphenidate. Police allege Hammami coordinated drug shipments, managed laundering operations, and operated from within Ottawa’s urban core.