Project Traveller raids dismantled violent Toronto gang: police

TORONTO – Toronto police say a gang — which terrorized an Etobicoke community — is now dismantled following a series of raids Thursday.

“Dixon Road was being victimized by a gang,” said Deputy Chief Peter Sloly. “That gang has been significantly downgraded.”

Police displayed several firearms — most of which came into the country from the United States — and bundles of cash at a news conference Friday regarding their year-long investigation “Project Traveller.”

Supt. Ron Taverner says the Dixon City Bloods terrorized the Dixon Road neighbourhood.

“The people in that community were living in fear,” he said.

“There were sounds of gunshots going off numerous times over the past year.”

Officers in tactical gear carried out a series of early-morning raids Thursday targeting suspected drug and gun traffickers making 28 arrests — 19 in Toronto and nine in Windsor.

Police said a total of 43 people have been arrested as a part of Project Traveller.

Police allege the arrested are members of the Dixon City Bloods.

One of the raids targeted an apartment complex where an alleged video appearing to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine was reportedly located.

680News has not viewed the alleged video and cannot verify its existence.

Police have not said whether Ford was in any way part of the year-long investigation.

Some 300 charges were laid, including murder and participation in a criminal organization, police said.

Police said one of the 28 suspects arrested Thursday is facing a murder charge in connection with the death of Anthony Smith — a 21-year-old man who was gunned down outside a King Street West bar in March and is pictured in a photo with the mayor.

Police said they have launched a community outreach initiative called “Project Clean Slate” following the raids to reduce crime and work with the Somali-Canadian community in the Dixon Road area.

“It’s a fancy word. It’s a simple concept: making sure that the problems that this community faced don’t come back in again,” Sloly said.

He says police want to ensure a gang does not crop up again.

“Making sure that the gang that has been dismantled doesn’t form again, making sure that a new gang doesn’t form in the vacuum of the one that was just dismantled.”

He says patrols will continue to reassure Dixon Road residents and make “sure that the community feels safer and is safer — not just for a few days, or a few weeks or a few months.”