“Make no mistake these individuals do not see the time of day, location, you, your family or anyone else as a barrier for violence in the community.”
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah says the "New Money So Sick Gang" is an organized crime group, he says is responsible "for a series of homicides and brazen open-air public shootings."
A total of 88 people have been arrested and they will face more than 800 charges, collectively. At least one person has been charged with first degree murder.
The operation called Project Siphon, started in September of last year, when officers started probing a drug delivery network in Brampton and Mississauga.
Police say the gang was identified, and they believe the individuals are responsibel for a large-scale drug trafficking operation across the GTA.
“In addition to the trafficking of large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, this investigation has also linked the gang to some of our most outrageous incidents of violence, including multiple homicides, attempted homicides, human trafficking, and money laundering,” says Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich.
A total of 34 guns were seized, including some that had been modified to become fully automatic. Officers also seized nearly $2 million in drugs and $1.4 million in Canadian cash.
One of the shootings that has been linked back to the gang, included the death of an innocent 17-year-old, in the parking lot of a Mississauga apartment building in September of 2019.
Another was the shooting death of a 28-year-old man, who was shot and killed in October of 2019, when he was stopped at a red light on the 410 off-ramp to Derry Road.
Police have also linked the gang to a shooting death of a man in Mississauga in August of this year. Police say he was a customer of an illegal mobile pot operation, run by the gang, and they believe that may have played a role in the death.
Investigators say Mahmoud Al-Ramahi, one of the leaders of New Money So Sick, was arrested on Nov. 12 and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit an indictable offence in connection with that incident.