Inside the largest fentanyl bust in OPP history

In cities and towns across Ontario — and at Queen’s Park and Parliament Hill — our journalists work for you. Their mission is to dig for answers and tell you what they find.

This new daily podcast from Village Media — ‘Closer Look’ — is all about the stories we tell.

On tonight’s episode: One-on-one with Ontario’s top cop.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Provincial Police announced the largest fentanyl seizure in the force’s history: 38 kg, or more than 380,000 street doses of the lethal drug. The massive bust was the result of Project Golden, a multi-jurisdictional investigation that spanned 11 months and multiple communities.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique is our guest on tonight’s podcast, along with Andy Bradford, the Acting Detective Superintendent of the force’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau.

Along with details of the investigation, we ask the commissioner to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that fentanyl is pouring over the border from Canada. (Spoiler alert: Carrique describes that claim as “misinformation.”)

We also ask him to weigh in on the state of Canada’s bail system for accused criminals — and Premier Doug Ford’s belief that we need more “tough-on-crime” judges and justices of the peace.

Hosted by Village Media’s Michael Friscolanti and Scott Sexsmith, this new daily podcast goes beyond the headlines with insightful, in-depth conversations featuring our reporters and editors, leading experts, key stakeholders and big newsmakers.

New episodes of ‘Closer Look’ drop every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. across the Village Media network, or wherever you find your favourite podcasts. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Have something to say? You can reach us at closerlook@villagemedia.ca.