Toronto Police Seize 62 Guns, Lay 260 Criminal Charges in Gun Smuggling Investigation

Toronto police announced on December 5, 2022, that they had seized 62 illegal guns as part of an organized crime firearms trafficking bust. (Toronto Police Handout)

Toronto police announced today they have arrested six suspects and laid 260 criminal charges after an eight-month investigation into an armed organized crime group involved in illegal gun trafficking.

Police seized 62 illegal firearms, including five AR-15 semi-automatic carbine-style rifles, three AK-style firearms, one of which was loaded with 61 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 51 Glock-style semi-automatic handguns, 31 magazines, and assorted ammunition.

“Every one of these guns was destined for our streets; our communities,” said Police Chief James Ramer in a Dec. 5 release.

Of the 62 firearms seized in the investigation dubbed “Project Barbell,” four AR-15-type guns had no serial numbers and were untraceable. Fifty-eight were traced, and of those, 57 were traced to the United States, specifically Arizona and Texas. One firearm was traced back to Ontario and found to be a stolen gun from a break-and-enter crime in 2021.

Superintendent Steve Watts, with the organized crime unit, said at the press conference that the arrests and gun seizure speak to “our border integrity and the flow of illegal crime guns coming up from the United States.”

Crime Guns

Watts said that none of the guns seized were legally purchased in Canada. They were all illegal guns, smuggled over the border into Canada for profit.

“These are all high-quality firearms,” said Watts. “They'll go for anywhere from $4,500 to $6,000 a piece, on the streets.”

Watts said criminals can purchase a Glock handgun in the U.S., regardless of model, for less than $1,000 dollars. They illegally smuggle it into Canada and sell it for $6000, he said.

The individuals arrested had three firearms in their possession that police believe were going to be sold on the streets of Toronto and the GTA.

One of the individuals arrested, Syed Mohammed Ali Zaidi, 27, is a suspect in a shooting incident that took place in a crowded Toronto bar on Oct. 19, 2021.

“This incident happened in a crowded bar after an altercation between two opposing groups. Evidence at the time was circumstantial. Consequently, Mr. Zaidi was not charged at that time,” said Watts.

“After he was arrested in relation to this project, our centralized shooting response team investigators were able to confirm him as their shooting suspect specifically by specific tattoos and physical descriptors.”

Project Barbell began in the fall of 2021, when police began investigating a group suspected of firearms trafficking in Toronto. Police also seized two BMWs as part of their investigation, both were allegedly stolen and then registered with false vehicle identification numbers.

The suspects are scheduled to appear in court Dec. 9.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reacted to the news of the arrests on Dec. 5, saying on Twitter that the federal government should “put resources into keeping illegal US guns out, rather than banning rifles used by our hunters.”