Canadian authorities apprehend two men for luring women through online ads to smuggle drugs out of the country. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canada Border Services Agency launched a collaborative investigation in April 2025 after two women were detained in Nigeria for attempting to transport cannabis. Over the course of nine months, officials managed to thwart an illegal drug shipment of 29 kilograms of cannabis from exiting Canada through Toronto Pearson Airport.
The women had been enticed via postings on the classifieds platform “LeoList,” offering hefty sums of up to $20,000 for transporting drugs in and out of Canada.
Following their probe, law enforcement arrested Charles Adewoye, 48, from Toronto, and Shamaarke Jafar Ismail, 25, from the UK. Adewoye faces charges of cannabis exportation and conspiracy to commit a serious crime, while Ismail was charged with possession of cannabis for export, conspiracy to commit a crime, and resisting arrest.
Both individuals were granted bail and are set to appear in court on January 16, 2025.
Dale Foote, superintendent of federal policing and Central Region Border Integrity, emphasized the importance of proactive policing in dismantling criminal enterprises that exploit vulnerable individuals. Lisa Janes, regional director general of the CBSA’s GTA detachment, highlighted the collaboration between the CBSA and law enforcement agencies in combatting organized crime and securing Canada’s borders.
