Toronto Police Gang Corruption
Project South Drops Bombshell: 7 Cops Charged in Murder Plots, Shootings, and Tow Wars
Look, if you’re living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), you’ve probably heard the headlines: drive-by shootings, extortion rackets torching businesses, and drug ops flooding the streets with fentanyl. you would expect the police to be the good guys cracking down on gangs and corruption. But what if some of them are tangled up in the very mess they are supposed to clean up? That is the wild question hanging over the recent bombshell from Project South, this massive investigation that just dropped seven current Toronto Police officers and one retired one into hot water over alleged ties to organized crime. It is making everyone scratch their heads and wonder just how rotten the apple might be.
Let us dive into the details, because this stuff reads like a gritty crime thriller. It all kicked off back in early 2025 when cops nabbed three shady characters lurking around the home of a senior Ontario corrections officer. Turns out, these guys were hit men plotting a murder. From there, the probe unraveled a web of corruption that snagged those eight Toronto officers. Investigators say these cops were leaking sensitive info to criminals, info that allegedly fueled shootings, extortion, and all sorts of violent chaos in the city’s underbelly. And get this, some of it ties back to the brutal turf wars in the tow truck industry, where gangs fight over territory like it is the Wild West.
Who are these officers? Leading the pack in charges is Constable Timothy Barnhardt, a 56-year-old from Mississauga, slapped with a whopping 17 counts. We are talking bribery as a peace officer, breach of trust, unauthorized computer access, conspiracy to obstruct justice, plus drug trafficking and firearms offenses. Ouch. Then there is Sergeant Robert Black, facing similar heat for allegedly playing ball with crooks. The father-son duo of Constable John Madeley Jr. and retired Constable John Madeley Sr. got roped in too, with charges like breach of trust and leaking info. Sergeant Carl Grellette is accused of the same shady dealings, and Constable Saurabjit Bedi pops up in the mix for allegedly helping orchestrate hits with a guy named Robert Da Costa, who seems like the ringleader of this criminal crew. Oh, and do not forget Constable Reazuddin Shaikh, hit with multiple fraud charges over and under $5,000, plus attempted fraud. These folks mostly worked in the west end, divisions 11 and 12, and one even from the Guns and Gangs Unit. Ironic, right?
Their alleged activities? Picture this: Cops supposedly handing over confidential police data to gangsters, who then used it for targeted violence. We are not just talking petty theft here; it is drug trafficking, bribery, and even plotting to whack that corrections officer. York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween called it deeply disappointing, and yeah, that is putting it mildly. Some officers allegedly worked hand-in-glove with extortion rings and drug dealers, leaking personal details that led straight to shootings. Makes you wonder, how many other crimes got a boost from inside help?
But zoom out for a second. Is this just a few bad apples, or a sign of something bigger rotting in the system? Toronto Police has faced scrutiny before, from racial profiling to slow responses on oversight. With these charges, you have to ask: How did this go unnoticed for so long? What about the checks and balances? Are internal affairs really equipped to sniff out this level of betrayal? And if cops in the Guns and Gangs Unit are allegedly cozying up to the gangs, who can you trust to keep the streets safe? It raises tough questions about hiring, training, and maybe even the culture within the force. Could there be more officers skating on thin ice? Or is this the tip of an iceberg that could sink public faith entirely?
Look, no one is saying all cops are crooked, but stories like this make you inquisitive about the whole setup. How do we fix it? Stricter audits? Independent watchdogs with real teeth? Or does it start with us, demanding transparency? One thing is for sure: Toronto deserves answers, and fast, before trust erodes any further. What do you think is lurking beneath the surface?
BACKGROUNDER
The Toronto tow truck gang wars have turned what should be a routine service industry into a violent hotspot riddled with shootings, arsons, extortions, and murder conspiracies. The fight boils down to big money: whoever gets to a crash scene first hauls the vehicle, pockets insurance fees, and racks up storage charges. That first-come system has fueled brutal turf battles across the Greater Toronto Area.
In 2024, tow truck disputes linked to 63 shooting and firearm incidents, making up nearly 13 percent of Toronto’s total. Early 2025 saw the violence spike hard, with police reporting these cases accounting for about 15 percent of shootings citywide at times, and up to 70 percent of incidents in the first weeks of the year. By March 2025, Toronto cops had responded to 13 tow-related shootings alone. Drive-by hits on drivers’ homes, firebombings of trucks and yards, beatings at accident sites, and even a mass shooting at a pub tied to the wars have left innocent people caught in the crossfire.
Police cracked down aggressively. In January 2025, Toronto launched Project Dodger, a dedicated task force to target firearm discharges, shootings, and arsons from these territorial fights. It built on earlier efforts like Project Beacon from 2024. Then came major busts: Peel Regional Police’s Project Outsource in mid-2025 dismantled a network tied to towing companies like Certified Roadside and Humble Roadside, seizing $4.2 million in assets including 18 trucks after uncovering staged collisions, extortions, assaults, and firearms use. Toronto-led Project Yankee, a wiretap probe starting in late 2024, hit in June 2025 with 20 arrests and 111 charges, including dozens for conspiracy to commit murder. They targeted a self-styled group called “The Union,” accused of using intimidation, arsons, shootings, and threats to dominate the east-end towing scene and beyond.
The latest twist hit hard on February 5, 2026. York Regional Police’s Project South charged seven current Toronto officers and one retired one (plus 19 others) in a corruption and organized crime probe. Allegations say these cops illegally accessed databases and leaked personal info, like home addresses, to criminals. That intel allegedly fueled shootings, extortions, drug trafficking, and a foiled murder plot against a corrections officer. Some violence connects straight to the tow wars, with one suspect linked to the industry and a shooting at a tow complex. Officers like Constable Timothy Barnhardt face serious counts including bribery and breach of trust.
Why does towing draw this heat? First-come, first-served at crashes means big money fast, lax regulations let shady operators in, and organized groups (some with international ties) exploit it for extortion and control. Police say it’s not the whole industry—just bad actors—but with insiders allegedly helping, trust erodes fast.
Toronto’s highways shouldn’t feel like gang territory or war zone. With ongoing probes and task forces, is the violence finally cracking? Or is this just another chapter in a war that’s too profitable to quit?
