Police in Toronto, Canada’s largest city have announced they’ve broken up a major criminal gang.
An initial investigation into a city gang, led to a year-long multi-city investigation into shootings, murder, attempted murder, drug dealing and human trafficking. The network stretched into several other Ontario cities as far away as Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario about 1,400 km from Toronto.
Armed with 141 warrants the simultaneous arrests involved several Ontario city police forces and regional forces as well as the Ontario Provincial Police. “Project Sunder’ resulted in 114 arrests, and the laying of over 800 charges.
Police at the press conference announcing the successful year long operation to crack the gang. (Toronto Police Services Facebook)
In a media statement Toronto Police Services Deputy Chief Myron Demkiw said, “What started as a local investigation into a dangerous street gang known as the Eglinton West Crips turned into a complex, multi-jurisdictional project involving arrests in 15 different cities. Thanks to the cooperation of these other police services, we have been successful in dismantling this criminal organization and taking guns and drugs off the streets of many communities.”
During the raids the police confiscated
– 31 firearms, including four over-capacity magazines
– 7 kilograms of cocaine
– 2 kilograms of fentanyl
– 2 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine
– Other drugs including heroin, oxycodone, percocets, and MDMA
– Over $300,000 in Canadian currency
OPP Chief Superintendent Paul Mackey, Bureau Commander, Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau. noted that simple street gangs are evolving into sophisticated networks of crime and violence, ” “Urban-based organized crime groups are increasing in sophistication and have developed province-wide criminal networks from Ottawa to Thunder Bay and in most places in between. The success of this investigation is a testament to how effectively police work together. No community is immune – criminals do not respect jurisdictional boundaries, and as law enforcement we consistently adapt our investigative techniques to mitigate this”.
Meanwhile, in another unrelated investigation, police in York Region just north of Toronto, swooped in on illegal marijuana operations in several small communities.
While the search of 15 locations resulted in confiscation of 29,000 plants, and 1,800 kg of harvested cannabis, along with some firearms a stun gun and a crossbow, they came across something rather out of the ordinary.
Another police operation netted some 150 million in illegal cannabis, as well as finding exotic animals, including kangaroos and zebras. (York Regional Police)
At a location in Schomberg, they also found several ‘exotic’ animals including three kangaroos, and two zebras.
Some 40 people have been charged as a rest of Project Green Sweep . Police say the operation was using loopholes in the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and were selling the crop illegally.
additional information- sources
- TPS Press release Oct 29/20
- TorStar: B Powell: Oct 29/20: Toronto police announce 114 arrests in 12 month anti-gang investigation touting ‘evolved’ approach
- CP24 (CTV):K Wilson: Oct 29/20: Ontarion-wide street gang bust leads to 114 arrests, 800 criminal charges
- CBC: Oct 29/20: Multi-city bust dismantles street gang, Toronto police say
- Canadian Press (Global): York Regional Police seize millions worth of illegal pot, several exotic animals
- Toronto Sun: B Passifiume: Oct 30/20: Weed, zebras, kangaroos seized in 150M York Region drug raid
TPS twitter
https://twitter.com/TPSOperations/status/1318176760119308289
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