| No images? Click here UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
from Toronto Life’slong-form archives Dear Reader, In 2021, Toronto police closed Project Brisa, heralding the operation as the largest international drug bust in the city’s history. The months-long investigation—which tracked how drugs from Mexico were being smuggled through California into Canada—led to the seizure of an estimated $61 million in illicit substances, 182 charges and 20 arrests. On Monday, however, the historic case collapsed in court, with all charges stayed. While the public awaits answers from police and prosecutors as to why, we’re revisiting Toronto Life’s most shocking stories about the city’s drug trade, from the alleged ringleader of the world’s largest trafficking empire to the family physician slinging fentanyl scripts in secret. —Madi Haslam, digital editor Tse Chi Lop, the suspected ringleader of a multibillion-dollar crime syndicate, may be the world’s most innovative drug lord. Toronto was his training ground BY STEPHEN MARCHE | NOVEMBER 1, 2021 Tse Chi Lop is the alleged kingpin of a drug syndicate known to law enforcement as “Sam Gor,” Cantonese for “Third Brother,” and to its members simply as the Company. His international dealings in heroin, ketamine and methamphetamine rake in an estimated $21 billion per year. Though he’s often dubbed “Asia’s El Chapo,” he’s more like the Jeff Bezos of the drug trade, a savvy businessman who learned his craft in Toronto and ultimately built the world’s largest drug empire. As Stephen Marche details in this riveting feature, Tse’s innovative and dangerous career reflects the changing nature of crime, drug trafficking and even business itself. READ THE FULL STORY George Otto was a respected family physician with a bustling clinic in the northwest corner of the city. But he had a secret: after hours, he was running a booming fentanyl business BY BRETT POPPLEWELL | MARCH 22, 2021 After immigrating to Toronto from Uganda, George Otto worked hard to build his reputation as a trusted doctor in one of the city’s marginalized communities. At his clinic, located in a strip mall near Jane and Wilson, he presented as a hard-working public servant who was the embodiment of prosperity and generosity. Little did his patients know, he was secretly writing fentanyl prescriptions under the table and making a fortune. This haunting story by Brett Popplewell chronicles how one doctor fuelled the opioid crisis and destroyed hundreds of lives. READ THE FULL STORY Our current issue MARCH 2023: INSIDE THE BATTLE FOR THE TORONTO STAR Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett promised to lead the Toronto Star into a golden era. Within two years, their big egos and clashing visions nearly tore the company apart. Our March issue shares the untold story of the owners’ doomed partnership, taking readers inside the vicious battle for control of the country’s largest newspaper. If you’re still not receiving Toronto Life at home, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today. Follow us for the latest from Toronto Life |
