Toronto police say 35 more arrests are expected to be made in connection to a year-long investigation targeting the Driftwood Crips street gang that culminated in a series of pre-dawn raids across southern Ontario on Thursday.
The probed called Project Kronic has so far resulted in the arrests of 90 people and 485 charges laid.
“The community now can breathe a sigh of relief that we have removed some very, very bad people from the streets,” Insp. Peter Moreira told reporters during a press conference Friday morning.
In total, 105 search warrants were executed between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Police said the arrests related to crimes that included attempted murder, trafficking firearms, kidnapping conspiracies, firearms possessions, robbery and drug trafficking.
WATCH: 90 people arrested, hundreds of charges laid after massive Toronto police raid. Ashley Carter reports.
Police were also able to seize 18 firearms, 208 rounds of ammunition, as well as drugs such as cocaine and fentanyl.
“The wanton disregard for public safety during the commission of these offences was nothing short of appalling,” Moreira said.
Investigators said the Driftwood Crips gang was the target of two prior police operations.
“This group had been the focus of a large-scale investigation in 2007 that was named project Kryptic and some members arrested yesterday were part of Project Marvel in 2011,” Moreira explained.
READ MORE: SIU investigating after serious facial injury sustained in Toronto raid
“19 of those arrested yesterday were convicted in one or both of those previous investigations.”
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told the media during a press briefing on Thursday that the raids were an attempt to dismantle a gang that had proliferated beyond Ontario and moved into Saskatchewan and Alberta.
“We believe the Driftwood Crips have a clear rank structure, a number of leaders that control separate cells, some of whom are running their operations while incarcerated,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters during a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Among those arrested during the Project Kronic raids included 10 youths between the ages of 15 to 18.
WATCH: Police show-off drugs, guns seized in wide-spread raids of Driftwood Crips gang
Investigators said that although they have made a significant dent to the criminal organization’s structure, the criminal lifestyle is hard to resist for some.
“People find themselves in a quagmire. They can’t get out. They become addicted to many of the different aspects of that lifestyle and they continue to go back,” Moreira said.
“That’s something we are now investing heavily in working with partner agencies, external agencies to try to identify and combat at the earliest opportunity.”
VIDEO: Driftwood Crips gang accused of supplying fentanyl in Sudbury
Comments