Hamilton cop arrested in ‘Project Pharaoh’ raids
Posted June 5, 2015 12:14 pm.
Last Updated June 5, 2015 2:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Hamilton police constable has been arrested in connection with raids conducted across the GTA on Thursday targeting the notorious “Monstarz” street gang.
The officer was remanded in custody and will be back in court on Monday.
The Toronto police guns and gangs unit executed more than 50 search warrants in Toronto, Peel, Halton, Hamilton, Barrie, Bradford, Durham and St. Catharines as part of an operation dubbed “Project Pharaoh.”
Police said Craig Ruthowsky, a 16-year veteran of the force, is facing four charges including breach of trust and participating in activities of a criminal organization.
Officials wouldn’t comment any further on the charges against Const. Ruthowsky, but said he has been suspended with pay since 2012 in connection with a previous offence.
Const. Ruthowsky had been a member of the Hamilton police guns and gangs squad previous to his suspension.
Insp. Bryan Bott, with the Toronto police guns and gangs unit, said the investigation into the “Monstarz” gang led police to criminal activities in Hamilton.
Bott said Monstarz had been warring with “Jamestown Crip” gang and had been involved in 44 acts of violence since 2011 — including an incident where shots were fired at an Etobicoke hospital in 2014.
“I don’t think we are dealing with a street-level corner gang,” he explained. “I think we are dealing with a mid-level gang.”
“Project Pharaoh” was an ongoing investigation lead by the integrated gun and gang task force and the provincial weapons unit.
More than 700 police officers from southern Ontario were involved in Thursday’s raids.
Police collected six firearms, 34 kilograms of cocaine, a large number of Canadian currency, other drugs and some vehicles.
Bott said 45 people face a combined 379 charges in “Project Pharaoh” and that he believes the raids have taken out a “significant portion” of the Monstarz gang.
These raids follow 19 arrests in other RCMP-led raids targeting organized crime on Tuesday.
Bott said “Project Pharaoh” will make the summer much safer.
