More than two dozen guns and millions worth of drugs were seized over the past few months in what London police say was a concentrated effort to dismantle illegal gun smuggling into Canada from the United States.
London police unveiled Thursday the results of Project SAFE (Shooting and Firearms Enforcement), a multi-agency investigation that yielded 70 individuals facing 550 combined criminal charges between April and July.
The charges primarily relate to the possession of drugs and various firearm-related offences, such as possession of prohibited firearms and importing firearms and ammunition. In total, 22 handguns and four long guns were seized, along with $8.5 million worth of drugs.
“Guns in the hands of criminals pose great harm to our communities,” Det. Insp. Chris Churney of the London Police Service said. “Every firearm discharge has the potential to kill or seriously injure and dramatically impact the lives of countless people.”
Churney said the origins of Project SAFE date back to the arrest of a 24-year-old London man in February, who was accused of having nine handguns on his person and in a vehicle he was driving. From there, Churney says police began connecting the source of the firearms to criminal organizations bringing guns into Canada.
Other agencies, such as the OPP and police in Hamilton and Sudbury, were involved, with 24 raids in London and one each in Hamilton and Sudbury between April and July. Those search warrants and other arrests led to the high volume of individuals facing charges, said Churney.
London has had 20 reported shootings to date in 2023. Churney admitted it can be challenging to balance an investigation with wanting to assuage resident fears over the number of shootings and the seeming lack of progress.
“It is important to be able to regularly share with the public the efforts being made, but we’ve always got to balance that with protecting the integrity of the investigations,” Churney said.
One notable incident that raised concerns among residents was a shooting in several parking lots in the area of Richmond Street and Oxford Street in April. Churney said guns related to that incident were connected to Project SAFE.
Another notable incident related to Project SAFE was the “complex cannabis extraction laboratory” on Commissioners Road uncovered in April. According to Churney, of the $8.5 million worth of drugs seized related to Project SAFE, $8.3 million came from the lab.
London Mayor Josh Morgan was on hand for the announcement. Speaking afterwards with reporters, Morgan reiterated Churney’s point that sometimes the work of police cannot be made public even when there is high concern among residents.
“Law enforcement is co-ordinated and they are working together,” Morgan said.
“Crime does not care where the city of London starts and stops. It moves across the province and country, and that’s why you see partnerships like you see today.”
On top of the OPP and other municipal law enforcement, Project SAFE involved the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the Correctional Service of Canada and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada.
Churney told Global News there were between 50 and 60 core members of Project SAFE and a couple of hundred personnel contributed to the success of the investigations.