Police suspect this family may have been using COVID-19 to avert a massive drug bust.

Two members of a Brampton family will appear in provincial court in April after $1.6 million worth of drugs were found in a suitcase belonging to one of their children, aged 10 and 12.

The RCMP Cpl. Dmitri Malakhov said the family of two adults and the two children were arriving from Montego Bay, Jamaica, on February 2021, at Pearson Airport when their luggage were examined.

Police said one piece of the children’s luggage contained 7.7 kilograms of cocaine, worth $962,500; 93 kilograms of marijuana, worth $688,940, and 218 grams of hash, worth $4,360.

“A suitcase concealing cannabis was checked in under the ticket of a 12-yar-old girl,” the RCMP said in a statement. The value of the drugs seized is estimated at $1.6 million.

Police said both parents were charged with three counts each of importation of a controlled substance and three counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.

The children were released to other family members.

“Seizures like this underscore the necessity for the RCMP to work closely with our law enforcement partners and the public to protect our communities and our border,” Said Inspector Barry Dolan, RCMP Officer in Charge of Toronto Airport Detachment.