2024.12.20 6 arrested, 5 remain at large in auto theft ring that operated around Toronto Pearson Airport: police
Peel police have arrested six people and issued arrest warrants for five more suspects who are allegedly part of a Quebec theft ring responsible for stealing more than 100 vehicles in and around Toronto Pearson International Airport.
On Friday, police announced the results of its investigation into the “well-coordinated” theft ring dubbed “Project Tallahassee.”
It began in July when the Airport Division Criminal Investigation Bureau “identified, mapped and analyzed crime patterns,” which led investigators to believe that a car theft ring was operating around the airport and targeting 2022 to 2024 Lexus SUVs, Toyota Tundras, Sequoias, Highlanders and Ram trucks.
“By leveraging advanced statistical data and crime trend analysis, they identified specific methods and tactics used by the thieves, their inner workings, and the routes they were using into and out of the airport area,” said Peel police, who collaborated with a number of forces and agencies, including the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and Canada Border Services Agency.
Officers conducted an operation between August and November that resulted in the arrest of six suspects. Police said they also executed several search warrants in Toronto that led to the seizure of computer programmers, master keys and signal-jamming devices.
They also recovered stolen vehicles worth almost $4 million.
On Friday, the six arrested suspects were identified as Jean Junior Goureille, 23; Ala Zadi, 27; Riccardo Charles, 35; Serkan Dikici Montimarquette, 22; Marie Mallous, 28; and Abdullah Farooq, 22.
Police said they have laid over 100 charges against the six.
Meanwhile, five more suspects remain at large and are wanted for a total of 48 auto theft-related offences. Investigators are looking for 30-year-old Marie-Sandy Desir, 31-year-old Shainna Faustin, 22-year-old Steven Trottier, 21-year-old Kyle Cain and 21-year-old Jamal Chery.
All of the suspects are from Quebec.
Police are urging them to seek legal counsel and turn themselves in.
“Peel Police continues to lead the field in arrests, just like in this investigation, which effectively shut down a proliferate auto theft ring,” Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said in a statement.
“This operation is a testament to the power of collaboration, data-driven investigations, and a shared commitment to protecting the public.”
A police helicopter helped track jewelry store robbers from Richmond Hill to Toronto, leading to the arrest of two men and two teenagers.
Video released by York Regional Police (YRP) on Wednesday shows the moment when four suspects get out of a vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment near Highway 27 and Finch Avenue.
They are then seen running towards a nearby wooded area.
“They are walking, sorta jogging with bags in their hands. And they know we’re here,” an officer is heard saying on the radio.
Shortly after, the four emerged from the trees, just on the south side of the apartment building, then subsequently ran back into the woods to get away from attending officers.
One by one, police, with the help of the canine unit, are seen rounding up and arresting all the suspects.
Hours earlier, the suspects allegedly used hammers to smash glass cases in a jewelry store located at a strip mall near Yonge Street and Levendale Road and took an unknown quantity of jewelry.
Police said an employee was assaulted during the incident and suffered minor injuries.
The suspects fled in a silver SUV, which was tracked down by YRP’s Air2 helicopter and later determined to have been stolen.
On Wednesday, investigators identified the two adult suspects as 24-year-old Marlando Mitchell from Brampton and 20-year-old Che Brooks Baptiste from Burlington. They are facing a total of nine charges.
The other two suspects, a 16-year-old Toronto boy and a 16-year-old Mississauga boy, cannot be named under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Both have been charged with 12 offences.
Police said Mitchell and the two teenagers were out on a combined 10 release orders at the time of the robbery. One teen was also on probation, they added.
2024.12.13 PRINCE ALBERT – Two more people have been sentenced in the death of a woman whose body was found on a Saskatchewan highway with dozens of stab wounds and signs of being severely beaten.
Sheena Billette, who was 28, was found dead on a frozen highway north of La Ronge on Dec. 23, 2019.
Both Deborah McKenzie and Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas were sentenced at the Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert on Dec. 11, 2024.
For the charge of manslaughter, Deborah McKenzie received 10 years in prison, while Sharise Sutherland-Kayseas was sentenced to 12 years in jail. Each also received a four-year sentence for kidnapping, to run concurrently.
Charlie Charles was previously sentenced in June 2024 to eight years for manslaughter, while Telsa Jane McKenzie was sentenced in January 2023 to just over four and a half years for manslaughter.
2024.12.12
PRINCE ALBERT – The Prince Albert Police Service (PA Police) is releasing a photo of a person of interest in a family/grandparent/friend emergency scam.
PA Police are currently investigating multiple reports from members of the public regarding this scam.
The scam involved a potential victim, often an older or vulnerable adult, receiving a phone call from someone claiming to be a family member or friend in an emergency and requiring money for various purposes.
The fraudsters will often work in tandem and connect the victim to another person claiming to be a police officer, lawyer, doctor, or representative of another profession. But this is a scam. Any legitimate authority would never make these requests.
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2024.12.10 Police in York Region arrest 17 suspects allegedly part of criminal network involved in GTA home invasions
Police in York Region have arrested 17 people who are allegedly part of a “multi-faceted criminal organization” involved in home invasions, armed robberies and drug trafficking in the Greater Toronto Area.
The results are part of a year-long investigation dubbed “Project Skyfall,” announced by York Regional Police Tuesday. The accused are facing a combined total of 83 charges.
“Today, we’re here to send a very strong message that the York Regional Police will not tolerate armed criminals violating the sanctity of the homes in our community. And we will use every resource available to us to eliminate the threats that illegal firearms and organized crime pose to York Region’s residents,” Deputy Chief of Investigations Alvaro Almeida said during a news conference.
In addition to the arrest, investigators also seized $14.4 million worth of drugs and three weapons, which were displayed during the news conference.
SOME SUSPECTS ALREADY OUT ON BAIL, POLICE SAY
Almeida said six of the people were on bail conditions or other forms of release when they were arrested, including one who was on parole for armed robbery and discharging a gun.
He added that four others have firearm prohibitions.
Almeida revealed prior to the news conference, seven of the suspects were already out on bail.
“We know that profit-driven crime is complex and that these responsible know no boundaries. If it makes them money, be it armed robbery, trafficking in drugs, or terrorizing a family within their own home, criminals will jump at the opportunity, and they will repeat this behaviour time and time again. These individuals pose a danger to our community,” he said.
“They should be held in custody, but unfortunately, they have been released. This needs to change. I can assure you that police are working everywhere very hard to prevent crime every single day.”
SUSPECT ACCESSED GOVERNMENT DATABASE
Police also confirmed one person charged with unauthorized use of a computer worked for the Ministry of Transportation at the time of their arrest.
The suspect allegedly accessed the databanks of the ministry “to benefit the criminal network.”
Det. Sgt. Ryan Boulay of the hold-up unit would not say if the individual is still employed, directing reporters to reach out to the ministry for that information.
“What I can tell you is that we’re confident that there is no further information being accessed by those offenders at this time,” he said.
HOW PROJECT SKYFALL BEGAN
The investigation started on Christmas Eve last year following a home invasion in Vaughan. During the news conference, they played a video released in July showing officers responding to the Dec. 24 incident in the area of Forest Drive and Harmonia Crescent.
An individual is heard in the video telling a 911 operator that somebody had broken into their house and tried to “rob and threaten” them. But before the 911 operator can reply, a suspect is heard in the background.
“Get off the phone. Sit down and don’t move,” they say before repeatedly asking the resident, “Where is the money?” In the audio, the resident can be heard saying, “That is all I have,” but the suspect or suspects continue to demand money.
Officers later arrived at the home and are seen in the video walking up to the front door. At that point, screaming can be heard, followed by officers commanding three suspects to come out with their hands up.
One officer discharged their gun multiple times, but no one was hit. One suspect was taken into custody while the two others fled.
“This video, as shocking as it is, hardly captures the extent of the trauma and terror that was caused when these criminals commit home invasions and armed robberies,” Almeida said on Tuesday.
SUSPECT VEHICLE STOLEN IN CALGARY
Officials also revealed a black sedan involved in the Christmas Eve home invasion was stolen during an armed carjacking in Calgary, and one of the suspects was on bail conditions “out west” and allegedly removed his GPS monitoring device before moving to the GTA.
Of the 17 suspects, three are Saskatchewan residents.
“We’re alleging that some of the offenders in the GTA were the conspirators who were planning these types of home invasions, and some of the other offenders were the ones actually committing the acts,” said Boulay.
“We believe that three potential home invasions or armed robberies were going to occur that were disrupted, and that’s as a result of the ongoing investigation.”
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