Toronto Police are offering up more details about Project Patton, an operation targeting the Five Point Generalz street gang.
Fifty-three raids were carried out yesterday across the GTA that resulted in the arrests of 75 alleged gang members and 1,000 charges being laid.
The Five Point Generalz operate in the west end within the borders of Westone Road and Lawrence Avenue West.
During the raids 78 guns were seized, 75 handguns and 3 long guns.
Of the 75 handguns, 60 were seized in one swoop. "Sixty of the handguns were, in fact, obtained in a single seizure from an individual who we allege was running guns for the Five Point Generalz as part of a firearms smuggling operation. The individual obtained the guns in Cornwall, was enroute back to Toronto when he was taken down by our Major Projects Team and our Firearms Enforcement Unit. The 60 handguns were brand new, many of them with multi-coloured receivers. They were located in the trucnk of this individuals vehicle at the time of his arrest," describes Acting Inspector Don Belanger.
Investigators traced the guns back to Florida. "I can report this gun smuggling operation has been dismantled. There's no doubt in the mind of investigators that these guns were destined for the streets of Toronto and the GTA to be used and sold by members of the Five Point Generalz," says Belanger.
The guns would have generated $200,000 in profit.
Because of their unique, flashy, bright colours there is concern for officer safety. "We will be sending out an officer safety bulletin because many of these guns, if they were to be pointed at a police officer, they could very easily conclude that either a toy gun or a water pistol, for that matter, is being pointed at them," Belanger worries.
Also seized was cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, carfentanyl, and marijuana totalling a street value worth over $1 million.
This is not the first time the Five Point Generalz have been the target of police raids. In 2010, 98 alleged members were arrested in early morning raids.
"I can tell you that 13 individuals arrested in Project Corral were arrested as part of Project Patton," says Belanger.
Of the 75 people arrested in Project Patton, 68 had previous convictions.