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Police forces across the GTA have teamed up to shut down a street gang whose criminal network reaches far beyond the region.
Durham Region Police say a nine-month-long investigation into drug trafficking and illegal firearms began in April 2025, targeting a gang that calls itself “the 44”. It is alleged that the members flaunted their illegal earnings in social media posts.
Sixty-one search warrants were executed over a period of several weeks in Durham Region, Toronto, Lindsay, York Region, Peel Region and Winnipeg.
Thirty-four people face a combined 139 charges, and large quantities of drugs worth more than $2.7 million were seized along with 10 firearms – four of which have been traced to Detroit, where they were stolen.
Durham Police Chief Peter Moreira says many of the suspects charged have prior experience in the justice system.
“During this investigation alone, approximately half of the 34 individuals arrested were already bound by release orders from the courts, but were still actively engaged in criminal activities,” Moreira said. “This is not a small number. It is a clear indication that the current system is not working as intended.”