By Western Standard News Services
Copyright westernstandard
A two-year investigation has led to one of the largest drug busts in Alberta history, with ALERT dismantling a cartel-connected trafficking network and seizing 157 kilograms of cocaine.Dubbed Project Cerberus, the operation was led by ALERT Calgary’s organized crime team with support from the DEA, Calgary Police Service, RCMP, and other agencies across Canada and the U.S. The network was tied to Mexican cartels and was moving drugs across the border for distribution throughout Canada.The cocaine haul, tested at between 96-98% purity, is worth more than $15 million on the street. Along with the drugs, police seized nearly $1 million in cash, 15 firearms, and seven vehicles outfitted with sophisticated hidden compartments..Over the course of the investigation, ALERT intercepted multiple shipments, including 61 kilograms seized in Manitoba in March 2024 and 96 kilograms seized by the DEA in Houston that October. One man, Edmonton’s Jack Kasjaniuk, 35, was arrested in Texas and sentenced earlier this month to more than 11 years in a U.S. federal prison.The investigation culminated in July 2025 with charges against five high-ranking members of the group: Calgary’s Reza Muhammad, 26, and Ji Hwan Kim, 34; Spruce Grove’s Jordan Plamondon, 40; and Edmonton’s Allan Leung, 33, and James Morrissette, 33. Together, they face 31 charges including organized crime, conspiracy, money laundering, and drug trafficking.All five have been released pending court appearances scheduled between September 26 and October 3, 2026, in Calgary.The probe involved more than 450 investigators and staff from across Alberta, B.C., Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the U.S. ALERT, funded by the Alberta government, called the case a major blow against cartel-linked drug operations in Canada..Cerberus is the multi-headed dog from Greek mythology that guards the gates of the Underworld, preventing the dead from leaving and the living from entering. Typically depicted with three heads, a serpent’s tail, and snakes growing from his back, Cerberus is a child of the monsters Typhon and Echidna. He is a key figure in the myth of Heracles (Hercules), who famously captured Cerberus as one of his Twelve Labors.
