Police forces target guns and drugs in early morning raids in Toronto, other areas

TORONTO – Police from several forces across Ontario held a series of early-morning raids targeting guns and drugs today, including around the Greater Toronto Area.

Targets included an apartment complex in Toronto’s west end where about 100 heavily armed officers raided several units in two apartment buildings.

One of the buildings is the same one where an alleged video showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine was reported to be located.

The Toronto Star had said Ford gave his senior aides the address of two 17th-floor units after the newspaper and the U.S. website Gawker.com first reported they had seen the video.

Ford told reporters this morning he didn’t know anything about the raids and had no comment on a resident’s claim that police told her the police action was due to the mayor.

“The chief has not talked to me … I have no other information,” he said.

Ford has said publicly that he does not smoke crack cocaine and the video does not exist.

Toronto police Const. Wendy Drummond says around 30 warrants have been issued in what’s being called Project Traveller.

The raids began shortly after 5 a.m, and involved police from multiple jurisdictions including Peel, York, Halton, Barrie, Guelph, the RCMP and Ontario Provincial Police.

Windsor police say multiple warrants were also executed around that city, involving several police agencies assisting with a Toronto police investigation.

Police have not yet released a tally of the number of arrests and there’s also no immediate word on any charges resulting from the mass raids.

Toronto police Chief Bill Blair will provide more details at news conference at noon.

(680 News, Newstalk 1010, The Canadian Press)