Thursday, July 14, 2011

Police locate boy in Vaughan

UPDATE: York police have located a boy in Vaughan after a possible abduction investigation Thursday evening.

The boy was discovered with his father, York police confirmed.

Shortly after 6 p.m., police received a report that a 10 to 13-year-old boy had been picked up by a grey sport utility vehicle in the Dufferin Street and Clarke Avenue West area.

Initial reports said the child did not want to get into the vehicle voluntarily.

Police said the boy and his father would both be interviewed to determine if charges would be laid.

Police look for missing girl

Toronto police are seeking tips to locate a missing 12-year-old girl.

Police said Alicia Anwhatin was last seen on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Cineplex Odeon Queensway theatre, located at 1025 The Queensway in Etobicoke.

Investigators are concerned for her safety.

Anwhatin is 4-foot-5 and has long, orange/brown hair.

She was wearing a turquoise shirt under a black mesh shirt, a black zippered sport jacket, blue jeans, and white and grey running shoes, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416−808−2200 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477).

Fire crews battle house blaze

UPDATE: A two-alarm blaze has caused extensive damage to a house on Roberta Drive, near Bathurst and Lawrence.

The fire broke out in the attic shortly after 12 p.m.

Flames were shooting from the roof, which was under repairs at the time.

No injuries have been reported.

The fire was knocked down shortly before 2 p.m., Toronto fire officials said.

Toronto man charged in drug-smuggling ring

A Toronto man is among those facing charges after law enforcement agencies teamed up to shut down a pipeline that smuggled illicit drugs into Canada from Mexico.

Police and federal agencies on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border participated in Project Omen, an investigation that lasted several months.

From Mexico, the drugs were moved across the U.S. and smuggled into southwestern Ontario, RCMP said.

The sting culminated Wednesday when U.S. authorities arrested two Essex County residents in Detroit and seized 10 kilograms of cocaine.

RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police officers then arrested a Toronto resident and three additional Essex County residents.

Additional arrests are expected.

So far, police have only identified three suspects.

Khoaphone Sychantha, 30, of Toronto and Leamington residents Isaak Banman, 32, and Frank Klassen, 46, are charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into Canada from the U.S., RCMP said.

All three were scheduled to appear in court in Windsor on Thursday.

In addition to the RCMP and OPP, members of London police, Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency offices in Los Angeles, Detroit and El Paso, Texas participated in the investigation.