The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has dismantled a significant dark web drug trafficking operation, arresting seven men from the Greater Toronto Area. The operation, known as "RoadRunna," was reportedly responsible for shipping around 400 packages of narcotics weekly across Canada.

The investigation began after German law enforcement took down a dark web marketplace and alerted the RCMP about several Canadian users linked to drug trafficking. This led to a detailed analysis that identified the suspected vendor, RoadRunna, prompting further investigation by the RCMP's Cybercrime Unit.

On Thursday, the RCMP announced the arrests of the suspects, who range in age from 30 to 46. The individuals charged include Raphael Magdales, 40, of Toronto; Calvin But, 32, of North York; Matthew Wong, 46, of Scarborough; Tommy Tao, 30, of Mississauga; and three others from Brampton: Kevin Lau, 30; Richard Tat, 31; and Daneil Matti, 31.

During the operation, officers executed multiple search warrants, resulting in the seizure of 75 kilograms of various narcotics, including cocaine, MDMA, meth, heroin, and ketamine. Additionally, police confiscated 10,000 pills, both prescription and non-prescription, along with electronic devices and drug distribution materials, including packaging branded with the RoadRunna name.

RCMP Insp. Nicole Noonan expressed pride in the collaborative efforts of domestic and international partners in this investigation. "Criminals are finding increasingly sophisticated and modern ways to evade the law, but we will continue to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these types of networks," she stated.

The dark web, which requires special software to access, is often used by criminals to conceal their identities and evade law enforcement. The RCMP's Serious and Organized Crime Unit in Milton, Ontario, took over the investigation due to the complexity and scale of the suspected criminal activities.