More Than 700 Charges Laid In ‘Project Kryptic’
Posted June 14, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s a disturbing display of weaponry and illegal drugs, but even more frightening is the fact that 48 hours ago they were still on the streets. Toronto Police on Thursday displayed items they seized in a massive pre-dawn bust a day earlier targeting the Driftwood Crips gang.
In all, 95 people were arrested in the morning raids, part of the ongoing operation Project Kryptic: 69 men, 21 women, and five young offenders. Most appeared in court Thursday. More than 700 drug- and weapon-related charges were laid following the execution of dozens of search warrants, mainly in the North York neighbourhood of Jane and Finch.
“(It’s) a good day for police because any one gun off the street to us is a major accomplishment,” said Staff Insp. Joe Tomei. “So this is a significant seizure. You have some formidable weapons including a Mac-11 fully automatic weapon. So any seizure is a good day for us.”
The takedown followed an 11-month investigation by Toronto police and other forces including Barrie, Niagara, York Region, and the RCMP, involved more then 700 officers carrying out 130 search warrants of vehicles and residences. Along with the arrests, police seized more than $1 million in drugs, nearly three-dozen firearms, CDN$221,000 and US$5,500.
The troubled Jane and Finch neighbourhood has seen a number of violent deaths in recent months including the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Jordan Manners. Police say that though not everyone supports their actions, they believe they have the support of most of the community.
“The people that are in the Driftwood Crips were born and raised in that area,” said lead investigator Det. Sgt. Matt Crone. “So you’re looking at their brothers, their sisters, their sons, their daughters. So it sort of creates this environment of silence.”
More arrests are likely, as police say they have outstanding warrants on several individuals who have so far managed to elude them.
