It appears the Niagara Region had become a major hub for an international cocaine trafficking ring that was dismantled Thursday as part of a massive, nationwide police operation dubbed Project Ink Part 2.

In March of last year Niagara Regional Police entered in to the investigation of a large scale cocaine smuggling operation, operating in the Niagara Region under the control of a Kingston man named Nicola Nero.

The investigation focused on individuals working in Niagara and in York Region who were part of the drug trafficking ring.  It's reach had  extended as far south as California and Mexico and, earlier this year, the NRP arrested two brothers, Frank and Angelo Alessio, seizing more than $30-million worth of cocaine, the largest seizure in NRP history.

On Thursday,  the NRP, working alongside the OPP, the CBSA, the RCMP and police elsewhere in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, executed a number of search warrants and made a number of arrests across the country including in the Port Robinson area of Niagara.

39-year-old Nebojsa Dronjak of Niagara Falls, and 27-year-old Tawnya Fletcher of Niagara on the Lake  are facing a number of charges, 

Nero was also arrested and charged. A Canadawide warrant has also been issued for two others, 39-year-old Toronto native Martino Caputo and 25-year-ol Rabih "Robby" Al Khalil.

The NRP will be holding a news conference on Friday to discuss the bust. 610 CKTB news will be there.