Gun and drug bust in and around the GTA leads to 10 arrests
Ten people were arrested and two others are sought after a cache of guns and drugs were seized during searches of more than a dozen residences in and around the GTA.
Durham Regional Police say the Drug Enforcement Unit launched an investigation dubbed Project Venture in November 2024 – an operation that involved assistance from Toronto Police, Ontario Provincial Police, York Regional Police, Peterborough Police, Peel Regional Police, Waterloo Regional Police and Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.
Project Venture culminated in the execution of 16 search warrants in Durham, Toronto and Waterloo on May 2, police said in a statement released Thursday.
'Investigators seized several items, including 12 firearms, more than three kilograms of cocaine, a large quantity of other narcotics and more than $100,000 in cash,' police alleged, adding the drugs have a street value of more than 300,000.
'A 2024 Volkswagen Atlas was also seized as property related to the offence,' police said. 'Several individuals at these residences were also arrested and charged.'
Five teens busted for Oakville camera shop robbery
Man, 26, busted for attempted robbery in Burlington
Three teen boys busted for violent Midtown Toronto robberies
Police said a total of 112 criminal charges have been laid so far against the 10 accused.
Charged with an assortment of related offences are Devonte Black-Marriott, 27, of Pickering, Muhammad Lila, 25, of Scarborough, Isaac Hinton, 26, of Toronto, Kyle Hinton, 32, of Toronto, Jermaine Russell, 40, of Toronto, Dalton Gilmore, 30, of Pickering, Jason Campbell, 42, of Waterloo, Uzair Malek, 31, of Toronto, Scott Young, 58, of Toronto, and Percy Noray, 56, of Toronto.
Investigators have been in contact with one of the two men still sought – Andra Rennie, 44, of Brampton, who is wanted on three counts of storing a firearm or restricted weapon contrary to regulations.
But cops are appealing to the public for help tracking down the second suspect.
Dexter Taylor-Bailey, 33, of Mississauga, is wanted for possession of a restricted firearm knowingly not holding a licence, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, two counts of possession of proceeds obtained by crime over $5000, two counts of possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of a schedule IV substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Taylor-Bailey, or who has any information about this investigation, is urged to call the Drug Enforcement Unit at 1-888-579-1520, ext. 5800, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
cdoucette@postmedia.com
@sundoucette
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Mississauga man accused of forcible confinement, robbery in Scarborough
A 21-year-old Mississauga man faces numerous charges including forcible confinement and robbery in connection to a springtime incident in Scarborough. Toronto Police said they received a call for a robbery on April 8 in the Midland-Lawrence Aves. area. Police alleged that the accused met the victim through social media and they decided to meet. Police said the accused picked up the victim in his vehicle and, while inside the vehicle, the accused allegedly assaulted the victim and stole their belongings. CRIME SCENE: Trio charged in $4M pot bust in Bobcaygeon CRIME SCENE: 3 men sought in armed Markham home invasion, auto theft Ridhampreet Singh was arrested June 10 and charged with forcible confinement, assault, two counts of robbery, three counts of uttering threats, assault with a weapon and fraud under $5,000. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-4100 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
11 charged in Toronto taxi scam that allegedly defrauded customers of over $500K
Eleven people have been arrested and charged after a Toronto police investigation into a taxi scam that allegedly defrauded more than $500,000 from unsuspecting customers over 10 months. The 11, accused of being part of a criminal network that exploited members of the public, face 108 charges. At a news conference on Thursday, police said the investigation called Project Fare began last July after police received multiple reports by victims of the taxi scam. Initially, police identified 61 incidents of fraud, but that number quickly grew to more than 300. Det. David Coffey, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, told reporters that the suspects masqueraded as taxi drivers using vehicles that were modified to look like licensed cabs. Coffey said unsuspecting customers got into what they thought were legitimate taxi cabs only to find out that they were scammed after they paid their fares. "Unsuspecting victims were picked up and asked to pay for the ride using a credit or debit card. During the transaction, the suspects discreetly swapped the victim's card with a card that looked like theirs. The real card and their PIN is then passed on to accomplices," Coffey said. "These fraudsters used the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent checks to artificially inflate account balances and make high value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing." At the news conference, police displayed some of the items that the fraudsters purchased and that police seized during the investigation. On May 21, members of the police's financial crimes unit, with help from officers from various divisions, carried out three search warrants at addresses linked to the accused. Police made arrests and seized several point-of-sale terminals, high end clothing, electronics, artwork, several bank cards and vehicles resembling taxis. The suspects include 10 men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, ranging from 19 to 50 years old. The charges include fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police said they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. News of arrests brings relief to cab company Kristine Hubbard, operations manager for Beck Taxi, said after the news conference that she is relieved that police have laid charges. "I'm just really relieved to know that this was taken seriously and that it's been dealt with," Hubbard said. "When someone defrauds or engages in criminal activity in the name of legitimate services, it's pretty heartbreaking and it's pretty defeating." Hubbard said she has advice for customers. "Nobody's saying no to cash. That's number one. And if someone has a point of sale terminal, it can't accept debit and not credit, right? So our debit terminals or point of sale terminals are clearly branded," she said. "They have the Beck branding on them and they take debit and credit. If somehow a massive cell outage happens, obviously that's affecting the whole city, that might be the case where there's no debit and no credit, but there's never one and not the other." Also, she said customers should never let their debit cards out of sight and it should not leave their hands. Customers should also look for a brand that they trust and look at vehicle numbers to identify legitimate taxis, she said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Toronto police charge 11 suspects in taxi scam investigation
Toronto police say 11 people face more than 100 criminal charges after an investigation into a taxi scam targeting unsuspecting victims in the city. Police say the investigation dubbed Project Fare began in July 2024 after victims reported being scammed by people posing as taxi drivers in vehicles modified to resemble licensed cabs. Det. David Coffey says victims picked up by the fake taxis were asked to pay their fare using credit or debit cards. He says the suspects would swap the victim's card with a similar-looking one, and keep the real card before passing it to other suspects who withdrew cash, deposited fraudulent cheques to inflate account balances, and purchased expensive items. Police say they initially identified 61 linked incidents and that number rose to more than 300 by the end of the investigation, with total losses to victims exceeding $500,000. They say investigators executed three search warrants and seized multiple point-of-sale terminals, high-end clothing, electronics, artwork, numerous bank cards, and vehicles resembling taxis. Ten men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, whose ages range between 19 and 50, were arrested and charged with a total of 108 offences including fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000. Police say they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press
