Two men face charges after $2.5M cocaine seizure

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A major cocaine bust has led to the arrests of two Toronto men — one of whom appears to have faced charges in another large coke seizure just two years ago.

Durham Regional Police say members from the Drug Enforcement Unit were involved in an investigation that led them to Toronto on Monday.

“During the investigation, two males were arrested and two vehicles were seized,” Sgt. Joanne Bortoluss said in a statement released Wednesday.

She said officers also seized 15 kilograms of cocaine.

“Three search warrants were then executed in Toronto, which resulted in a further seizure of an additional 10 kilograms of cocaine,” Bortoluss said.

She said the entire cocaine seizure of 25 kilos has an approximate street value of $2,500,000.

Nino Cunanan, 41, of Toronto, is charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Ali Baek, 54, of Toronto, is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

A man named Ali Baek, who was 52 at the time, was among three men accused of being involved in “a sophisticated crime group” when Toronto Police revealed details in May 2020 of an investigation dubbed Project Corredor, which resulted in the seizure of 61 kilograms of pure cocaine valued at $8 million.

“The amount of cocaine and cash seized in this investigation speaks to the level of sophistication of this group,” Insp. Donald Belanger alleged during a news conference at the time.

“They are not street-level or even mid-level drug dealers — we allege that they are highly organized, and for lack of a better term, professional cocaine distributors,” he said.

Neither Durham or Toronto cops were able to confirm the Ali Baek charged this week is the same Ali Baek charged two years ago.

Anyone with information about the Durham Regional Police investigation is urged to call their Drug Enforcement Unit at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5800, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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