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 (CPS), 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.“This was a multinational criminal organization, a business built on importing drugs and violence into our communities,” CPS Insp. Gerry Francois said on Wednesday. “But this wasn’t just a Calgary problem, or even an Alberta problem. Organized crime impacts every community, and in this case, it was a multi-million-dollar enterprise that transcended borders.”.Francois emphasized that the success of Project Cerberus demonstrates the importance of teamwork and collaboration.The probe involved more than 450 investigators and staff from across Alberta, BC, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the US ALERT, funded by the Alberta government, called the case a major blow against cartel-linked drug operations in Canada.“The only way you can be effective in combating organized crime is through partnership, and those elements are the foundation of ALERT’s success,” Francois said.“Today, we are not only celebrating our collective success, but also showcasing a united front against organized crime.”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..“The hidden compartments in these vehicles were controlled by a complex hydraulic system, requiring a specific sequence of buttons and toggles inside the car to open,” said RCMP Staff Sergeant Matt Humphrey, currently assigned to Calgary ALERT. Investigators say the organized crime group paid up to $50,000 per vehicle to install these compartments, highlighting both "the sophistication of their operations and the lucrative nature of their criminal enterprise.”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 Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, 2026, in Calgary.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.
