PRE-DAWN RAIDS CLOSE NET ON NATIONAL STREET GANG RING

What began as an investigation into a shooting in Toronto's gritty
Jane-Finch neighbourhood last spring turned into a major bust of
street gang members in four provinces.

The case gained a national scope as investigators tracked local gang
associates who had relocated and committed crimes in cities across
central and Western Canada, Toronto police Chief Bill Blair said on Tuesday.

"It revealed a level of mobility among street gangs not yet witnessed
before in this city," he said.

In predawn operations, hundreds of police officers arrested 60 people
" 10 of them minors " and searched dozens of locations in Ontario,
Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

Police seized guns, ammunition, drugs and money in the raids, and
Superintendent Chris White, the officer in charge of the Toronto
police" Organized Crime Enforcement Unit, said more than 300 charges
are expected.

Two rival Jane-Finch gangs were targeted in the crackdown, the Young
Buck Killas and the G-Siders, Supt. White said.

"We believe that we have identified the alleged leaders of these
organizations," Chief Blair said. "We have gathered evidence to lay
significant charges."

He said the operation, the result of one of the largest Toronto
Police investigations conducted, had dismantled the hierarchy of the
gangs and dealt a significant blow to their activity.

But Livy Visano, who teaches criminology at York University, said the
arrests were ultimately "insignificant."

"These are like hiccups," Dr. Visano said, adding that while it would
take some gang members out of circulation for a while, others would
rush to fill their spots. He estimated Toronto has at least 30,000
gang members.

The police operation was code-named Project Marvel because many of
the suspects gave themselves nicknames inspired by characters from
Marvel comic books, Supt. White said.

The probe, which began after a robbery and shooting in west-end
Toronto last May, looked at gang-related drug trafficking, robbery,
attempted murder and prostitution.

Gun smuggling across the Canada-U.S. border was also investigated,
with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives involved.

Early on Tuesday, 900 officers, including 400 heavily armed members
of tactical units, executed 67 search warrants, mostly in the Greater
Toronto Area, but also in London, Hamilton, the Ottawa area, Calgary
and Surrey, B.C.

"As the investigation matured, it spread to other jurisdictions,
including Windsor, Hamilton, Peel, York, Durham, Ottawa, Renfrew,
Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Fort McMurray," the
Toronto police said in a statement.

Other law-enforcement agencies involved included the RCMP and the
Canada Border Services Agency.

Some of the suspects were as young as 14, the CP24 network reported,
although police refused to comment on the age of the offenders arrested.

More details will be released Wednesday as suspects appear in court,
Chief Blair said.

The investigation is ongoing, Supt. White said.