18 arrested in connection with criminal network linked to towing industry: Peel police

CBC

a day ago

Peel police say officers have arrested 18 people and seized more than $4.2 million in assets following the dismantling of a Brampton-based organized criminal network linked to the towing industry.
Investigators released details Monday of an ongoing investigation into a criminal organization believed to be behind a significant number of extortion incidents and related acts of violence in the region.
Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the 11-month investigation began in response to a rise in violent extortion threats, particularly targeting the South Asian community and business owners.
"A large number of the extortions we have been investigating over these years can be attributed to this criminal organization and those associated with it," said Duraiappah at a news conference Monday.
Seventeen men from Brampton and one woman from King City now face a total of 97 charges, including extortion, participating in and instructing a criminal organization, and conducting staged collision offences. Police said almost half of those charged were on a form of judicial release at the time of their arrest.
Several of those accused were found to be associated with towing companies operating under the names Certified Roadside and Humble Roadside, police said.
Investigators said the group attempted to extort "hundreds of thousands of dollars" from people by engaging in insurance fraud by staging vehicle collisions and using threats, assaults, and firearms to exert control over local towing operations.
Peel Regional Police Det. Brian Lorette said he couldn't provide details about the staged incidents, but he did say they were "fraudulent in every aspect."
"These are collisions that are often happening on our roadways, which obviously have a public safety impact, sometimes including police, ambulance, and fire attending the scene and they continue with fraud all the way through the reporting and the insurance industry to reap the material benefits of the fraud," said Lorette at the news conference Monday.
Police said an estimated $4.2 million worth of assets was seized as part of the probe, including 18 tow trucks, four high-end personal vehicles, and five stolen vehicles.
Police also seized six firearms, 586 rounds of ammunition, two bulletproof vests, and various weapons.
The seizures occurred during the execution of a series of search warrants in Peel Region, Caledon, York Region, and Toronto.