Two rival street gangs that were targeted in a series of pre-dawn raids Wednesday may be responsible for a number of brazen shootings that left three people dead and another injured last year, police say.
Insp. Gord Sneddon told reporters on Thursday that homicide detectives have been involved in Projects RX and Battery since the investigations began over a year ago and have made “significant progress” as they work to solve the murders of Thuan “Tony” Nguyen, Michael Nguyen and Byron Linares, and the attempted murder of another man at a Yorkdale Shopping Centre restaurant.
Projects RX and Battery have targeted both the Sick Thugz and Asian Assassins street gangs, resulting in the arrests of a total of 94 people, 52 of whom were taken into custody during Wednesday’s raids.
“What we are alleging quite simply is that these people on both sides were involved in a criminal organization whose main commodity was to traffic in guns and drugs and in the process of doing that they were quite prepared to result to extreme acts of violence.” Sneddon said. “There was a willingness to result to violence at the drop of the hat.”
Thuan “Tony” Nguyen was fatally shot in a west-end parking lot last January after stepping outside a party at the Vy Vy Restaurant and Lounge.
Then in March, Michael Nguyen was gunned down in front of bystanders in the parking lot of Yorkdale Shopping Centre, sending shockwaves across the city.
Two months later, shots again rang out at Yorkdale when an unidentified man was shot through the window of Joey Restaurant, though that victim did survive.
Just over a month later on June 16, Byron Linares was found suffering from a fatal gunshot wound inside a ninth-floor unit in an apartment building on Empress Avenue near Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue.
Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Sneddon refused to answer whether those responsible for the shootings may have been swept up in Wednesday’s raids but he did say that police believe there is a “direct connection” with the Asian Assassins and their ongoing dispute with the Sic Thugz.
“There certainly appears to be an indication that there is a direct connection with the Asian Assassins,” he said. “That’s to say that the Asian Assassins are believed to be involved and associated to the shootings.”
Large quantity of guns and drugs seized
A total of 53 raids took place on Wednesday, resulting in the seizure of a large cache of weapons, drugs, and currency.
Police say they have now seized more than 30 firearms, eight sets of body armour and 1,100 rounds of ammunition since the investigations into the two gangs first began.
That’s in addition to $350,000 in Canadian currency, 1.3 kilograms of crack cocaine, 7.2 kilograms of powdered cocaine, one kilogram of heroin, 975 grams of methamphetamine, 26 kilograms of marijuana, three kilograms of Ketamine, two kilograms of MDMA and two kilograms of Benzocaine.
The suspects taken into custody are facing criminal organization-related charges along with charges related to firearm, drug and human trafficking and armed robbery.
"These are two criminal organizations whose main business is drugs and guns," Sneddon said. "It is that simple."
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