Over 70 arrests made in pre-dawn raids across southern Ontario

TORONTO, Ont. – A series of early morning police raids across Toronto and beyond Tuesday led to 71 arrests in Toronto.

More than 1,000 police officers executed 105 search warrants in the operation dubbed, “Project Corral.”

It is possibly one of the largest coordinated raids ever in southern Ontario, involving officers from several GTA police forces, along with the Ontario Provincial Police, Canadian Border Services and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

About 340 tactical police officers — from Toronto, OPP, Peel, Hamilton, Ottawa, Durham, York, Sault St. Marie, South Simcoe, London, Barrie, Waterloo, Kingston, Guelph, Halton, Belleville, Peterborough, Niagara and RCMP — were involved in the operation.

So far, police have arrested 71 people.

The raids rounded up suspected members of two violent street gangs, the Five-Point Generals and the Fallstaff Crips, but police also hit the group pulling the strings.

Chief Bill Blair said of the 71 arrested, 12 are believed to be part of a powerful Jamaican criminal organization known as the Shower Posse.    

“(The Shower Posse) has tentacles into these street-level organizations and are supplying them with both narcotics and guns and (are) organizing and profitting from their criminal activities,” Blair said.

Staff inspector Mike Earl led “Project Corral” which was launched in August of 2009 after a sudden wave of gun violence.

“There was obviously a huge spike of crime in that neighbourhood that time. We had to do something about it,” Earl said.

The operation began in August 2009, as part of the gun and gang task force.

Officers have so far seized:

  • 10 firearms
  • $30,000
  • $10,500 in casino cheques
  • Diamonds
  • Cocaine, crack cocaine
  • Marijuana
  • Hashish oil
  • More than 10,000 ecstasy pills
  • Body armour
  • Vehicles

From Jan. 1, 2010 to May 3, 2010, investigators seized:

  • Nine firearms
  • 73 kilos of cocaine (72 kilos of which were seized in the Dominican Republic, allegedly destined for Toronto)
  • 1.5 kilos of marijuana and a quantity of hashish
  • $314,000 in proceeds of crime

Also, two homicides are being investigated in relation to the project.

Numerous charges are expected to be laid, including trafficking of drugs and firearms, robbery, participating in activities of criminal organization and instructing commission of an offence for criminal organization, to name a few.

An apartment building at 2743 Victoria Park Ave., north of Sheppard Avenue, was one of the places included in the raid. Police broke through the front door just before 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Chief Blair talks about Project Corral:

Staff Inspector Mike Earl talks about Project Corral:

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