Ten people, including eight men from Brampton, are facing 80 criminal charges in connection with a drug smuggling ring that had connections as far as Pakistan.

The investigation began with Peel police’s intelligence bureau last fall, said the service.

It focused on a group of individuals who were operating within Peel and were involved in drug trafficking and importation, as well as trafficking stolen property and committing fraud, police said.

The investigation revealed that the criminal activity was taking place in Peel Region, the GTA and southwestern Ontario.

It also exposed criminal connections to the United States and as “far reaching” as Pakistan, said police.

“These arrests exemplify the excellent work our officers are doing to take drugs off the street and to put criminals behind bars,” Police Chief Jennifer Evans said Wednesday, Sept. 5. “Criminal operations today are borderless, and the partnerships we have are vital to our success.”

Police executed eight search warrants and charged 10 people with 80 charges.

The eight Brampton residents charged are Ravi Shanker, 56, Gurinder Bedi, 52, Bhupinder Raja, 64, Satnarine Ori, 35, Sukhveer Brar, 28, Gurpreet Dhillon, 39, Dilbag Aujla, 70 and Karan Ghuman, 44.

They are facing 70 charges, including importing heroin, possession of opioids and possession of property obtained by crime.

This investigation resulted in several drugs being seized, including 2.6 kilograms of opium with a street value of $65,000, 1.4 kilograms of heroin with a street value of $140,000, 17 grams of methamphetamine with a street value of $1,700 and one kilogram of marijuana with a street value of $4,500.