Peel Regional Police say they have broken up a violent gang of thieves which are allegedly connected to 16 home invasions, as well as number of other thefts in the area since last August.
Police launched Project Ghost last August after connecting a violent robbery with a pair of home invasions which occurred over a one-month span in Peel and Halton regions, according to Det. Jeff Chamula.
“The initial incident occurred on Aug. 1, 2024 at 2:45 a.m., when three suspects attempted to break into a home on Maybeck Drive in Brampton after targeting a BMW parked in the driveway,” he explained.
“The suspects fled in a white Acura after failing to gain entry to them. About 30 minutes later, the same suspects broke into a Boathouse Road home and demanded keys to a Mercedes-Benz.”
He went on to say that the victims handed over the keys but three people were still stabbed by the assailants, including one which was close to the heart. The suspects fled in the same vehicle during the second home invasion.
“On Sept. 10, the driver of a Lamborghini was shot and seriously injured in an attempted robbery in Mississauga,” Chamula said.
“This project was able to link the shooting and home invasions to the same criminal group, and further identified over 10 other home invasions and jewelry thefts this organization was responsible for across Peel and Halton.
He said on June 5, a series of raids were conducted in Peel Region, Toronto and Waterloo, which eventually led to the arrest of 13 men and teens from Mississauga, Toronto and Brampton.
“Through various investigative techniques, several individuals have been identified as participating in this criminal organization with distinct roles ranging from researching residences to target with high end luxury vehicles, recruiting individuals to commit the robberies, providing direction on how to commit the robberies, and the selling of the stolen property,” Chamula said.
“As a result of this criminal organization, over $1.8 million of property was stolen, which includes high-end vehicles and jewelry.”
Police say those who were arrested range in age from 15 to 25, and are facing a combined 197 criminal charges connected to organized crime, robbery, attempted murder, firearms.
They say that about a third of the stolen goods have been recovered while officers also seized cell phones, laptops, a replica firearm, and a quantity of white powder believed to be cocaine.
