RAID SUSPECTS REMAIN IN CUSTODY

Crown Not Prepared for Bail Hearings

The next stage in the prosecution of an alleged Toronto street gang
stalled as it began, with the Crown indicating that it was not ready
to proceed with a bail hearing for any of the 95 people in custody.

The announcement was met with an angry response by family members of
the accused and defence lawyers who questioned why there were no
resources allocated to deal with anyone arrested on Wednesday after
the 11-month police investigation dubbed Project Kryptic.

All of the defendants were brought in one at a time into a small
courtroom and told they must remain in custody at least until Monday,
because the Crown did not have the information to decide if it would
agree to their release on bail.

Many family members of the defendants were not permitted inside the
court because of the lack of space and were told by police to return
on Monday.

"Not six or seven family members, just one," a police officer told the
crowd.

Defence lawyers were not given any detailed information about the
allegations against their clients.

"I am shocked and saddened," said defence lawyer Aston Hall outside
court yesterday. "The rights of people have been disregarded. If you
want to raid, go ahead," he said. "But you must be prepared to deal
with the consequences."

More than 100 people have been charged after the early-morning raids
targeting the Driftwood Crips gang in the Jane and Finch area of the
city. Police said six suspects are still at large.

The defendants range in age from a 14-year-old male arrested for
hashish possession to a 56-year-old woman with no previous criminal
record who was charged with weapons and drug offences along with her
three adult sons.

A distraught Abosede Adeoye, who is the woman's brother, said
yesterday that he has not been able to talk to his sister. He insisted
she has nothing to do with any criminal activity. "She is over 50. She
is not a criminal," he said.

Nearly 30 of the suspects charged are female, including an 18-year-old
woman who is pregnant and was arrested at the home of her boyfriend.

At the same time that the court proceedings were getting underway,
Toronto police held a news conference at their downtown headquarters
to display some of what was seized in the raids.

Police executed search warrants on more than 80 homes and seized 24
handguns, four sawed-off rifles, four replica guns and 900 rounds of
ammunition.

They also seized cocaine, marijuana and hashish with a street value of
more than $1-million, as well as $220,000 in Canadian and U.S. currency.

Of the 101 people that have been charged, just over 40 are facing
weapons-related offences. Included in that group are about 20
defendants charged under federal anti-gang legislation aimed at
alleged criminal organizations.