CROSS-COUNTRY RAID PRODUCES 300 CHARGES

It allegedly began with a gang rivalry on the streets of Toronto's
notorious Jane-Finch neighbourhood, and culminated in the early hours
of Tuesday morning with a massive, cross-country police raid that
netted at least 60 arrests.

More than 900 officers between Ottawa and Surrey, B.C., helped to
execute search warrants simultaneously at 67 locations with alleged
connections to organized crime. Police expected to lay about 300
charges, ranging from gun and drug trafficking to prostitution,
robbery and attempted murder.

"The investigation is ongoing as we speak, and more arrests are
anticipated," Toronto Police Superintendent Chris White, who heads the
force's guns and gangs task force, said at an afternoon news conference.

"The organized crime enforcement unit's mandate is to identify,
disrupt and dismantle organized crime groups. Today I think we had a
successful day."

Project Marvel - so named because some of the gang members it targeted
used street names associated with Marvel Comics - began in May as a
joint initiative of Toronto, London and Waterloo police, in
conjunction with Ontario Provincial Police.

The trigger was a rash of gang violence in 31 Division, which
encompasses the hardhit Jane-Finch corridor in the city's northwest.
The two gangs alleged to have been involved were the Young Buck
Killas, also known as YBK, and the G-Siders.

"It appeared to be a rivalry between gang members," Toronto Police
Chief Bill Blair said, noting the investigation quickly led police to
connect the dots to crimes in other jurisdictions.

"This became a national investigation.... It revealed a level of
mobility among street gangs that we had not previously witnessed in
this city."

The probe spread "well beyond the borders of Toronto" to southern
Ontario and farther west to Calgary and Vancouver, police said, though
most of the warrants executed Tuesday targeted locations in Greater
Toronto.

As the investigation matured, Supt. White said, members of the Young
Buck Killas and the G-Siders came under suspicion for funnelling guns
and drugs across the country.

As part of the investigation, police seized about two dozen guns,
including a highpowered assault rifle, along with ammunition, cocaine
and a "considerable amount" of cash. Police also worked with U.S.
authorities to trace some of the firearms that surfaced in Toronto,
but no arrests had been made across the border.

Supt. White suggested the two gangs, which he called "well-organized"
and "ruthless," became mobile after Toronto police investigators
ramped up local pressure on their organizations.

"They found it uncomfortable to do business in Toronto, so they
branched out to other areas across the country," he said.

Among the 60 people arrested were 10 young offenders. On Wednesday,
police were planning a "show and tell" to provide specifics of the
charges laid and to display the variety of weapons seized, Chief Blair
said.

"We believe that we have identified the alleged leaders of these
organizations. We have gathered evidence to lay significant charges,"
he said, adding the probe could have a significant impact on
curtailing gang activity in the region: "It not only dismantles the
hierarchy of the gang itself, but it's also a very significant
disruption of the criminal activity."

The chief would not immediately comment on whether the two gangs
involved in Project Marvel may have been connected to other
high-profile shootings in the city over the years.

"There's still a lot of work to be done," Chief Blair said, noting
evidence seized Tuesday could aid other ongoing investigations.

In the meantime, police have been deployed to neighbourhoods where the
warrants were executed to help assure residents the environment is
safe, police said.