3 Arrests Made After $225,000 Ketamine Shipment Intercepted in Montreal: RCMP

An RCMP officer leaves the court at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Aug. 12, 2024. The Canadian Press/Chris Young

Police say three arrests have been made and multiple charges laid after a shipment of ketamine intercepted in late August in Montreal was traced to three individuals in Scarborough, Ont.

The shipment of 5.59 kilograms of suspected ketamine originated in Belgium and was intercepted Aug. 28 by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in Montreal, according to the RCMP, who say it had a street value of approximately $225,000.

Police say the shipment was destined for Scarborough when it was intercepted in Montreal and, after being handed over to RCMP by border authorities, an investigation led to the subsequent arrest of three Scarborough residents connected to the drug shipment. After the arrests, police say they carried out a search warrant at the residence of the accused, which resulted in seizing “a significant quantity” of unnamed illegal substances, as well as a handgun, drug paraphernalia, multiple electronic devices, and a Lexus SUV.

“This seizure is just one example of the many ways that criminals are attempting to import illegal drugs from around the world, and highlights the increasing exploitation of courier and postal services to smuggle illegal drugs into Canada,” said Insp. John McMath, officer in charge of the RCMP’s Toronto Airport Detachment. “Thanks to the coordinated efforts from CBSA and RCMP investigators, a large quantity of dangerous drugs has been prevented from reaching our communities.”

Braden Van Nguyen, 21, of Scarborough is charged with importing a controlled substance in relation to the seized ketamine shipment, along with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, careless storage of a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and possession of a restricted firearm without a licence.

Qihang Lin, 21, also of Scarborough, is charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, possession of a high voltage pulse baton, and interfering with radio communication via possession of a cell phone jammer. Xuanran Zhang, 22, of Scarborough, was charged with the same charges as Lin.

Police say Nguyen is still in custody with a court date of Oct. 20, while Zhang and Lin were released on bail with multiple conditions.

According to RCMP, courier and postal services continue to be used by narcotics traffickers to ship drugs including ketamine, which the CBSA works to stop from entering at first ports of entry, including airports and seaports.