DRUG COPS PROBE ISN'T OVER: CHIEF

Further Internal Police Charges 'Pending'

The probe into alleged Toronto Police drug squad corruption is not over and
internal police charges are "pending" against more officers, Chief Julian
Fantino said yesterday. Rejecting the notion that there is "widespread
corruption" in his force and asserting that a series of unsealed affidavits
were merely the "first insight" into allegations from many quarters,
Fantino acknowledged there are remaining issues, but they are "confined"
and are being addressed.

Fantino said while the 25-member task force, which he initiated under the
leadership of RCMP Chief-Supt. John Neily in the summer of 2001, will now
stand down, the service's professional standards unit will take over.

"The investigation in its totality is not finished" and all the outstanding
allegations have been looked at or "have to be looked at," Fantino said.

Charges under the police services act are pending, but he said he didn't
know all the details. Penalties under the act range from reprimands to
dismissal from the force.

Fantino said that many of the allegations contained in a series of seven
affidavits ordered unsealed Monday by the Ontario court of appeal were just
allegations and that many officers who were "unfairly accused" have been
"cleared."

The Neily-led probe led to criminal charges against six former Central
Field Command drug squad officers: Staff-Sgt. John Schertzer, Det. Steve
Correia, Det.-Const. Joseph Miched, Det. Raymond Pollard, Det.-Const. Rick
Benoit and Det.-Const. Ned Maodus.

Four other officers -- Jason Kondo, Greg Forestall, Jonathan Reid and Mike
Turnbull -- were named as unindicted co-conspirators, but were not charged.

The controversial affidavits were filed in the bizarre appeal of Simon
Yeung. Yeung pleaded guilty to drug offences in 1999 but was freed in 2001
following Toronto Police evidence of a "miscarriage of justice."

Fantino said he "did the right thing" by forming the Neily task force amid
the Yeung case.

"We took the initiative at the outset that the public trust would not be
violated or compromised," Fantino said. "We were the ones who brought this
investigation into being, as painful as it is."