Tow truck turf wars
Peter Edwards is a crime reporter at the Star, who has covered organized crime for years. He has written over 15 non-fiction books on the subject. He joins This Matters to break down the two truck turf wars in the GTA and what happens next.
A brazen crime spree has gripped the Greater Toronto Area for almost three years. A turf war between towing companies that has resulted in murders, arson, gang violence, threats and intimidation.
This past week, a number of police forces working together in an operation called Project Platinum announced 20 arrests and over 200 charges filed against a number of individuals involved in these crimes. They also seized weapons, over one million dollars in various drugs, including Fentanyl, $500,000 in cash, 11 tow trucks and much more.
Police allege that four distinct criminal organizations were involved and were fighting over much more than turf. They had a sophisticated scheme that involved insurance fraud at auto centres, physiotherapy clinics and more. It’s also not over. Police expect to make 30 more arrests in this ongoing investigation.
