Toronto police charge 4 after guns, drugs and cash seized on weekend
Toronto police seized several guns, many rounds of ammunition, a variety of drugs, and more than $46,000 in cash in a recent police operation that led to the arrest of four people on Sunday.
Insp. Peter Moreira, spokesperson for Toronto Police Service's Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force, said three men and one woman have been charged with 165 offences in connection with the bust.
Police searched five Toronto residences on Sunday evening, mostly in the downtown core. Officers seized three rifles, three handguns and one shotgun as well as heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana and oxycodone.
The drugs have an estimated street value of close to $100,000.
"These are dangerous, dangerous firearms. Coupled with the ammunition, it's obviously concerning," Moreira told reporters on Tuesday.
"Anytime you have this quantity of drugs and these kind of firearms, it's significant. Even the removal of one gun is significant to public safety," he said.
"You add to that 368 rounds of ammunition, one can only imagine what kind of havoc that could wreak throughout the city."
Moreira said none of the guns seized on the weekend have been linked to any shootings nor connected to gang activity.
Seizure 'not just blind luck'
The police operation began in late 2016, when officers began investigating people suspected of owning illegal firearms. It became clear to officers that the suspects were also believed to be involved in the sale of illicit drugs. Police gathered evidence over several weeks.
"It's not just blind luck. The information is received and it is worked on. And evidence is collected. When we meet a threshold, we go out and execute search warrants and seize as many as we can," he said.
"I appreciate that shootings are increasing. Our job in the gun and gang task force is squarely centred on preventing these things from happening in the first place."
Moreira said police allege the four suspects were primarily engaged in the sale of illicit drugs and the guns were part of that business.
"There was clearly the trafficking of narcotics and the possession of firearms, which is a dangerous mix," he said.
The seized guns include a Tikka T3 rifle, a Robinson Arms XCR-L rifle, an Anderson AM 15-M4 rifle, a Dagger Sap6 shotgun, a Glock 17 handgun, a Glock 23 handgun and a Cobra ENT CA380 handgun. At least one is believed to be stolen.
A total of 368 rounds of ammunition were seized.
The seized drugs include more than one kilogram of powdered cocaine, 15 grams of crack cocaine, 86 grams of heroin, 196 grams of ecstasy, 20 grams of oxycodone, and 234 grams of marijuana.
Two men charged, both of Toronto, are 24 and 22 years of age. The third man, of Richmond Hill, Ont., is 21 years old. The woman charged is 23 years old. Two of the suspects were known to police.
The charges include firearm, possession of property obtained by crime and drug trafficking offences.
