Alleged gun-for-hire network behind consulate, synagogue shootings

Summary

Front Burner – CBC Episode: Alleged gun-for-hire network behind consulate, synagogue shootings
Host: Jayme Poisson
Guest: Abby O’Brien, Toronto Star reporter
Date: June 19, 2026

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Overview of the Episode

This episode dives into the recent revelation of a multi-layered gun-for-hire network in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) allegedly behind nearly 30 shootings, including attacks on commercial targets, Jewish sites, and even the U.S. Consulate. Police believe young men, some teenagers, are recruited via encrypted messaging apps and paid low sums to carry out filmed attacks. Guest Abby O’Brien of the Toronto Star joins Jayme Poisson to explain the scope, mechanics, and implications of these networks, including their links to ongoing organized crime, industry turf wars, and possible international connections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Police Investigation Uncovers a Decentralized Gun-for-Hire Network

• Police held a news conference announcing the connection of nearly 30 shootings to a loosely organized criminal network using “cells” (00:38).
• Firearms are shared among multiple attackers; ballistics connected guns to several incidents, not always the same shooter (00:58, 04:41).

Quote:

“We have 21 different shooting incidents with the .45 caliber, six with the nine millimeter, and we don't believe that it's the same person pulling the triggers in each one. We believe that the firearms are being swapped around.”
— Toronto Police Officer (00:58)

2. Youth Recruitment via Encrypted Messaging Apps

• Young people, sometimes as young as 15, recruited for low sums (as low as $600), often tasked to film their attacks for evidence and payment (01:16, 10:01, 11:00).
• Use of encrypted apps (Signal cited) facilitates recruiting and operational secrecy, making police investigation challenging (15:39, 21:29).

Quote:

“Young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets... through encrypted messaging apps.”
— CBC Narrator (11:00)

3. High-Profile and Diverse Targets

• Attacks linked to disputes in the tow truck and waste management industries, synagogues, Jewish schools, and the U.S. Consulate. Many are property shootings rather than targeting individuals—at least in cases police have confirmed (11:39, 12:06).
• GFL (waste management company) executives and facilities have been repeatedly targeted since 2024, with escalation over the past two years (05:55, 06:44).
• The tow truck sector is a long-standing site of violent turf wars, which have escalated to shootings, homicides, and mass shootings (07:09, 08:06).

Memorable Moment:

“We have covered [the tow truck wars] on the show before, I think so, but it’s been a while…”
— Jayme Poisson (06:51)

4. The Link to International Terror and the U.S. Consulate Attack

• The U.S. Consulate in Toronto was targeted in a shooting; the suspect is also linked to filmed attacks and a network now under investigation (03:00, 12:17).
• U.S. authorities allege an Iranian IRGC/Kataib Hezbollah operative, Mohamed Al Sadi, claimed responsibility for both the U.S. Consulate and unspecified synagogue attacks in Canada. Canadian police have not confirmed direct linkage (12:53, 13:09).

Notable Explanation:

“US authorities have arrested a man named Mohamed Al Saudi who they say was caught on a phone conversation taking credit... for the US Consulate shooting along with an unspecified number of Canadian synagogue shootings.”
— Abby O'Brien (12:17)

5. Changing Nature of Organized Crime: Decentralization & Accessibility

• The “Gig Economy” of organized crime: no need for traditional ties or significant sums of money. Apps enable even those without connections to “hire” shooters easily and cheaply (10:01, 17:33).
• Investigative challenges with encrypted apps, international legal barriers, and the lack of a single ringleader (15:39, 17:33).
• O’Brien emphasizes the difficulty for police: “It’s not the same kind of intelligence-heavy… crime group mapping… when this alleged network is kind of decentralized...” (17:33).

Quote:

“You may only need to have a thousand dollars in a bank account and somebody who has an in to a group chat… So you no longer need to know, quote, unquote, organized crime group.”
— Abby O’Brien (17:33)

6. Legislative and Policing Challenges

• Police Chief and guests highlight legislative obstacles, especially accessing evidence from encrypted apps not based in Canada, e.g., Signal, and the controversies around Bill C-22 (Lawful Access Bill) (19:12, 19:56).
• Current warrants enable tracking but not accessing foreign-encrypted messages unless the suspect’s device is in physical custody—process is slow and sometimes fruitless (20:00).

Quote:

“If law enforcement does not have the tools needed to prevent violence that is planned and paid for through encrypted messaging apps, it is all of us in our communities that suffer.”
— CBC Narrator quoting Toronto Police Chief (19:26)

7. Risks, Exposures, and the Future of the Investigation

• Hiring inexperienced or desperate recruits for small sums increases risk of evidence left on devices, poorly maintained operational security, greater exposure upon arrest (21:40).
• Ballistics have tied about 30 shootings to just two handguns, further illustrating recycling of weapons within the network (16:48).
• The sheer number of cases and the complexity (including possible links to police corruption in “Project South”) mean only the “tip of the iceberg” is currently understood; further police and journalistic investigation ongoing (23:14, 24:32).

Quote:

“I think we're kind of at the tip of the iceberg here. We've only been… there's four… four shootings that they've, you know, come out and confirmed.”
— Abby O’Brien (23:14)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:38–01:30: Police news conference; initial linkages between shootings, description of gun-for-hire cells.
• 03:00–05:22: How the investigation following Officer Pinazzado’s death revealed a broader network.
• 05:55–06:44: Overview of attacks on GFL and context of waste management shootings.
• 07:09–09:20: Connection to tow truck turf wars, industry background, and increase in youth recruitment.
• 10:01–11:20: Low payments and changing criminal dynamics.
• 12:06–13:49: Attacks on Jewish targets, consulate, and international terrorism allegations.
• 15:16–16:48: Recruitment processes, the role of middlemen, and ballistics.
• 17:33–19:12: Departure from traditional organized crime, police investigative challenges.
• 19:12–21:29: Legal/evidentiary hurdles, Bill C-22 discussion, access to encrypted apps.
• 21:40–23:14: Risks for those hiring/using inexperienced shooters.
• 24:32–25:32: Links to Project South (police corruption), future investigative direction.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the scale and mechanics of the network:
  “We believe that the firearms are being swapped around.” — Toronto Police Officer (00:58)

• On recruitment:
  “You may only need to have a thousand dollars in a bank account and somebody who has an in to a group chat.” — Abby O’Brien (17:33)

• On legislative reform:
  “If law enforcement does not have the tools needed to prevent violence that is planned and paid for through encrypted messaging apps, it is all of us in our communities that suffer.” — CBC Narrator quoting Toronto Police Chief (19:26)

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Conclusion: Broader Implications

This episode exposes a new, decentralized, tech-driven paradigm in organized crime, where violent acts can be contracted anonymously for low sums, with high-profile and communal targets affected. The judicial, policing, and community implications are vast—from legal reform and international cooperation to persistent challenges in dismantling diffuse criminal networks. As Abby O’Brien notes, investigations have only scratched the surface; both Canada’s legal system and the public will be watching for confirming details connecting additional shootings, especially those impacting vulnerable communities.

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For a deeper dive:
Listen to the full episode on the CBC Front Burner feed.

Transcript

[Jamie Poisson]

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[Toronto Police Officer]

This is a CBC podcast.

[Jamie Poisson]

Hey, everybody, I'm Jamie Poisson. This week, Toronto police held this news conference and announced that nearly 30 recent shootings across the greater Toronto area are linked to this multi layered gun for higher network.

[Toronto Police Officer]

As far as these, we call them cells or networks go, we believe there's multiple. The sharing of firearms is common. We have 21 different shooting incidents with the.45 caliber, six with the nine millimeter, and we don't believe that it's the same person pulling the triggers in each one. We believe that the firearms are being swapped around.

[Jamie Poisson]

Police say that a number of teens have been recruited through encrypted messaging apps to carry out attacks from targets linked to local tow truck and waste management disputes, to synagogues, to Jewish schools and even the U.S. consulate.

[CBC Narrator]

In order to get paid, they're required to film their attacks.

[Jamie Poisson]

Now police say that they want to know who is hiring them and how far this network actually spans. Abby o' Brien is a reporter at the Toronto Star who has been following Toronto organized crime networks in the recent news. And she's here to break down how all of these vastly different cases are connected and, and why young men are allegedly being paid to shoot for cash. Abby, hey. It's great to have you.

[Abby O'Brien]

Thanks for having me. I'm happy to be here.

[Jamie Poisson]

So you've been following a number of the shootings. Police mentioned on Tuesday. Details that a gun for hire network was involved started to really kind of surface publicly at least after an officer carrying out a raid last week was shot and killed in the line of duty.

[CBC Narrator]

The investigation that led to the search warrant where Police Constable Mark Benazotto was tragically killed, concerned a number of shootings, including a shooting at the United states consulate.

[Jamie Poisson]

A 19 year old was arrested at the scene and sent to hospital in critical condition. I believe he is still in a medically induced coma.

[Toronto Police Officer]

We allege that Nicholas Bennett, 19 years of age, of Toronto, shot and killed Toronto Police Service Constable Mark Pinazzado. He will be charged with first degree murder.

[Jamie Poisson]

And let's start there, shall we? Like, how did that raid begin to reveal this, this larger network that we're talking about today?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, so. So shortly after the the raids were executed, police confirmed that the they were investigating a network of shootings, like you said, and linked it to the U.S. consulate. So it took a few days for police to actually come out and kind of link some of the shootings that they consider to be connected to that network. And we don't know ex police became aware of it, but we know it was sometime after us that of shootings, three shootings in March. One of those shootings targeting a house in Oakville. That was on March 29th.

[Toronto Police Officer]

On April 14th, Jayon Berger, 18 years of age of Barry, was arrested by Halton Regional Police Service in connection with a separate shooting in Oakville. While in custody, he was charged by the Toronto Police Service with multiple firearm offenses related to the March 26 shooting in Etobicoke.

[Abby O'Brien]

And when looking at that case and the shootings that they were investigating, they started to notice a pattern. It was either often youth or young people were being hired to commit violent crimes or carry out shootings, often for very low sums of money and often being asked to film the acts. So that was the case in the U.S. consulate shooting. Toronto police reviewed the surveillance footage of that shooting that morning. They noticed the gunman had filmed it, and they launched a national suit security investigation into that shooting, which led them, we think, through ballistics to four other suspects. Eventually, they were able to connect this network, alleged network, to shootings across the gta. And police have said they believe the same guns were used repeatedly in many of these shootings, but that they don't always know who pulled the trigger.

[Jamie Poisson]

Okay, and just to be clear here, the man accused of shooting the police officer, Nicholas Bennett, he is not accused of also being involved in the U.S. consulate shooting. He's accused of being involved in other shootings that are part of this network. Am I right to say that?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, that's correct. So Nicholas Bennett was part a target of the raids that were executed on Thursday. And that was not looking just at the consulate shooting. It was looking at this wider network. So Nicholas Bennett has been accused in two shootings, one at a Markham and Eglinton apartment and another at an Etobicoke business, both in March.

[Jamie Poisson]

Okay. Okay. So there's lots going on here, lots of different shootings, and I want to go through just some of them with you. Right. Because you have been following a string of attacks on the waste management company GFL in recent months that, that some of these suspects are also connected to. GFL is responsible for people who don't know, for most of Toronto's garbage and recycling collection. And just for a little background, can you take me through what has been happening with them. I know we could do an entire podcast just on this, but yeah.

[Abby O'Brien]

So gfl, like you said, is responsible through GFL and its subsidiary companies for Toronto's garbage and now recycling services. And for two years now they've been targeted in a series of attacks. So dates back to 2024. In September 2024, two executives linked to the company, their homes were shot up. And in March, York police are still looking for suspect.

[Jamie Poisson]

A late night shooting in Aurora that shattered the glass doors of this waste management building. We're live along Weston Road. We're in front of the business. This GFL hauling yard was struck by gunfire yet again on Monday. A very similar set of circumstances. It was about 5 in the morning. Police were called to this same yard. Again, it's gfl. They're hauling yard over reports of a shooting.

[Abby O'Brien]

At that time there was another series of shootings at the homes of executives tied to GFL as well as.

[Jamie Poisson]

So that's gfl. And then there are also this string of shootings linked to the ongoing tow truck wars here in Toronto. We have covered them on the show before, I think so, but it's been a while and just. Can you bring us up to speed on what's been happening on that front and how they are connected to all of this?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, so there's. Right now there's. We don't know exactly what shootings in relation to the towing industry have been connected to this network, but we do know that an unspecified number of criminal cases caught the attention of prosecutors investigators when they started to notice the same pattern that I just discussed. The relatively low sums of money, the age of the people behind the guns and the request to film those acts. For those who don't know, maybe I'll just give a little bit of an explainer. The GTA's towing industry has long been rife with violence and corruption.

[CBC Narrator]

It happens day in and day out on the GTA's roads, highways. A turf war battle involving Ontario's tow truck industry. It all starts with a fight to clear collision scenes and sometimes scam drivers out of serious money. All that has escalated into criminal activity now out of control.

[Abby O'Brien]

In 2024, Toronto police linked 13% of

[Toronto Police Officer]

shooting to the towing industry.

[Abby O'Brien]

In 2025, Toronto police linked 15% of

[CBC Narrator]

the shootings to towing industry youths as

[Abby O'Brien]

young as 15 allegedly recruited to commit

[Jamie Poisson]

violent acts as part of an ongoing

[Abby O'Brien]

tow truck turf war in the city. For years, the sector was largely unregulated, which kind of allows companies to quote unquote, chase collisions. So that's basically when trucks will race one another to crashings in hope of securing a tow, which is a very lucrative exercise for those of us who don't drive tow trucks. And over the last two years, industry violence has really been forced into the public eye. There were two homicides, one in 2024 and 2025, linked to the industry. A mass shooting at the three masked

[Toronto Police Officer]

men burst in and opened fire. One of the worst mass shootings the city has ever seen, injuring 12 people. Police now say they've linked that attack to a rash of violence targeting the local tow truck industry.

[Abby O'Brien]

There was a series of foiled murder plots and in summer 2025, 20 people

[Toronto Police Officer]

are facing more than 100 charges tonight

[CBC Narrator]

after a multi jurisdictional police crackdown on a criminal network known as the union.

[Abby O'Brien]

Police say that network was well connected with the GTA's tow truck. Ind is tree. As those cases were moving through the courts, that's when prosecutors and, and investigators kind of started to notice this pattern. Right. Again, we don't know exactly what, what cases have been linked to the network, but we know that it has sort of infiltrated the towing industry.

[Jamie Poisson]

You mentioned before this network allegedly being paid low sums of money, just like. Tell me more about that.

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah. So from multiple sources and some of the court cases that we are following, we have heard sums as low as 600 and, and repeatedly less than a thousand dollars being offered for these jobs, which is significantly lower in the past and sort of reflects this kind of change in how we understand organized crime in recent years. I think where you might imagine traditional organized crime, you think of the quote unquote, mafia in the past, you would need kind of a connection to these groups and a lot more money if you wanted to hire someone to carry out a crime or carry out a shooting. And now through, as we've heard from the chief, the access that the Internet has given and messaging platforms have allowed and the decentralization of this network, it has become a lot easier to contract those jobs.

[CBC Narrator]

What we are dealing with in this case and in other unrelated incidences is a recurring and similar modus operandi, and that is criminals for hire. Through encrypted messaging apps, young people are hired to carry out attacks against various targets.

[Jamie Poisson]

I just do want to be clear about something, you know, referring when we're talking about this network specifically, like are these young guys, you know, allegedly only being asked to shoot at objects like buildings like the consulate, or is it also people?

[Abby O'Brien]

So so far the cases that Police have confirmed have only been shootings at buildings. So there have been no people injured in the shootings that they have come out and confirmed. But they have said that there almost 30 shootings that they have connected to this network and there's only a handful that they've actually specified what they are. So they're possible that there are victims, but we have not had that information confirmed to us.

[Jamie Poisson]

Right, right. And some of those buildings are also synagogues and Jewish schools. Just tell me a little bit more about what we know about what's been going on there.

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, absolutely. So when the chief came out and gave his press conference, he did specifically say that this network had been linked to shootings at synagogues and violence against the Jewish community. Police have not yet come out and said which shootings, which synagogues or which incidences of violence. So we're still waiting for that confirmation on those specific incidences. We do know that in relation to the consulate shooting, US authorities have arrested a man named Mohamed Al Saudi who they say was caught on a phone conversation taking credit for the US Consulate shooting along with an unspecified number of Canadian synagogue shootings.

[Toronto Police Officer]

According to an unsealed American criminal complaint, the man, an operative of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said our people were behind two attacks in Canada against the consulate and the nesset which the Americans believed referred to the consulate in Toronto and the synagogues. The man.

[Abby O'Brien]

Again, so far police here in Toronto have not linked these alleged network cases or the network itself directly to that US case.

[Jamie Poisson]

Right, right. And just maybe worth mentioning here that FBI described this guy Al Sadi as a quote, high value target responsible for mass global terrorism who was a senior member of Kataib Hezbollah and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or the irgc, both of which have been designated by the US government as foreign terrorist organizations. But you know, we don't know that for sure. So I just, I want to.

[Abby O'Brien]

That that's correct. That's the allegation for sure. And we have taken that back to police and our waiting for them to comment on whether there is a connection to that ongoing U.S. case as well.

[Toronto Police Officer]

Imagine you've been charged with a crime and the only witness pointing the finger at you isn't even human.

[Jamie Poisson]

I remember thinking, are you serious?

[Toronto Police Officer]

Serious? What is this thing? It's something artificial created by a mysterious Canadian and it's coming for all of us.

[CBC Narrator]

A life defining technology crime as we

[Toronto Police Officer]

know it will never be the same. I'm like, oh my God, he's lying. From CBC's Uncover the Expert witness.

[CBC Narrator]

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[Jamie Poisson]

I just want to talk more about what, what we might know so far about how this network allegedly was working. Like, how are they, how are these young people, these young guys getting recruited? Do we know anything about the middlemen here? How are the people hiring them, finding them, et cetera?

[Abby O'Brien]

As we go kind of up the levels of this network, the information gets a little less clear. Police have not come out and named a middleman. I don't think that they believe they said there's one middleman. I believe they said it's a multi layer network which would have, you know, different levels of responsibility within. We do know that a large amount of these conversations and these agreements are being made over encrypted third party messaging apps, which proves difficult for investigators for a number of reasons. So it seems that these, these apps and the conversations happening within them are facilitating the opportunity to carry out these agreements. Who is hiring them may very well depend on the shooting, the, the whatever shooting in question. And I think another interesting question is not just who is accessing this network to, to hire these people, but I think it's who's facilitating and keeping this network and this platform going and, and sort of making sure these services are accessible as well.

[Jamie Poisson]

You know, the other thing that I thought was interesting was that there's not a lot of guns that have allegedly been used in this.

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, so. So I believe that they said that the 30 shootings that they have linked to the network can be attributed to two handguns. The chief on Tuesday said that they're still looking into ballistics. So now that they've made a few arrests and they have seized those handguns, what they'll do is they will start looking at any shootings that they might believe to be connected to the network and collecting bullets from the scene or bullets they have collected from the scene and looking for matches of ballistics on those incidences as well.

[Jamie Poisson]

These are alleged hits. Right. And the way that they're operating is so different from how hit jobs or attacks like this would have been carried out in the past. Right?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, so I think I touched on that a little bit, but I think it's this marked kind of separation or departure from, from what we understand as traditional organized crime. And I think we often, when you think of like, I think when we think of hits, we often think of like, you know, a murder hit, an assassination attempt, and you think of, of those big traditional organized crime groups. But the accessibility of these, these encrypted apps and the recruiting of, of younger people and the monetized kind of aspect to it has, has kind of made that not necessary anymore. So you no longer need to know, quote, unquote, organized crime group. And you don't need to have, you know, $100,000 in cash. You may only need to have a thousand dollars in a bank account and somebody who has an, into a group chat. And that's, that's a lot less of an ask than having an in with, you know, an alleged hitman. And I think that proves difficult for investigators too because I think the investigatives tools and the invest. The landscape of the investigation changes like a lot. It's not the same kind of intelligence heavy, you know, you know, this, this, this crime group, you know, maybe who their associates are, you know, what business they're associated with. And you can kind of start mapping things out from there. Whereas when this alleged network is kind of decentralized, there doesn't seem to be one, one group or at least we, they have not come out and confirmed one group leading it or, or kind of running doesn't really give that same starting point. And, and there's a, In Canadian law in accessing evidence digitally, especially when those, when that evidence is through a third party app or a foreign company. And so I think that would put up a lot of obstacles and barriers in that sense.

[Jamie Poisson]

Yeah, I saw Toronto Police Chief Dem Q brought up the, the issue of, well, the Fairly controversial Bill C22 or the lawful Access Bill, which has come under a lot of fire for privacy concerns.

[CBC Narrator]

I want to remind all levels of government of the importance of legislative reform, including key provisions in Bill C16 and Bill C22. Unlawful access. If law enforcement does not have the tools needed to prevent violence that is planned and paid for through encrypted messaging apps, it is all of us in our communities that suffer.

[Jamie Poisson]

Why is he connecting it to this, this case?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah. So in Canada, police have the ability to apply for warrants to track your phone, obtain like your phone data, so your call logs or the location of your phone, even wiretap, you Know your home or your car, if they have permission from a provincial court which is, you know, accessible in their, in their town or city or province, all of that can be done without having your phone in their physical possession. What is more difficult for investigators is access messages or data from third party apps that are not in Canada or the companies who run them are not in Canada. So if they don't have somebody in custody and they haven't seized their phone and the evidence that they're seeking is property of a third party or foreign company, say, for instance, if they want to access Signal or Signal. I think Signal was one of the apps that the chief mentioned that this network was operating through, they believed was operating through. If they want Signal messages, they'll have to apply for a warrant with the court of the relevant country. And that can be like a very long process and often delays investigations. And right now, companies like Signal aren't required to retain certain metadata. So I think it's safe to say in this case where Signal and third party messaging apps were at play, investigators would have a difficult time getting initial access to that evidence.

[Jamie Poisson]

We talked earlier about the, the kind of lowered threshold when it comes to hiring someone off Signal to do this sort of work. But like, what are the liabilities to it too?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah, I mean, I think there is. When you're dealing with someone who is maybe not as experienced in, in the world of organized crime or who's not in the upper echelons of organized crime, who is, who's doing something for, as they believe, monetary reasons and for relatively low sums of money, it kind of indicates to us that it's more out of necessity. You know, if you're doing something like that for six or $800, you probably need that six or $800 more than someone, someone who's doing it for large sums of money. And, and I think that hiring, you know, younger people, or less sophisticated, if you will, members of organized crime, you are risking a bit of exposure when someone gets arrested. They might not know, they might not have been taking care of their messages on their phone. Their phone might have a lot of information. They just might not be, I don't want to say savvy, because I don't want to attribute evading police as savviness, but I think you're opening yourself up to error in a way that is not really been seen historically.

[Jamie Poisson]

Right, right. Also, they might be holding onto a gun that's, that can be traced to 20 different shootings. Yeah. Even with all of these connections being made it does feel like we could just be at the beginning of sort of understanding this complex crime wave. I'm just, like, trying to envision the whiteboard at, like, police headquarters. Right. And just what are some of the things that you're gonna be watching for as the investigation continues?

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah. So I think you're totally right. I think we're kind of at the tip of the iceberg here. We've only been, you know, there's four. Four shootings that they've, you know, kind of come out and confirmed. Linked to this network. I think as they start to. Or continue to investigate, reporters and others will definitely be pushing to have more shootings confirmed as part of this investigation. And then you can kind of look at those shootings and the circumstances around those shootings, who was involved. We've done reporting on some of those shootings, and we have a greater understanding of the circumstances at play, and that can kind of give us a bit of information of maybe who is accessing the network, who is hiring. It might not, you know, pin it down to an individual, but it could pin it down to a certain group or a certain area of organized crime that we know exists here in Toronto. Like example for GFL and towing. I would hope that they would come out because they have said that they believe specifically synagogues have been targeted, that they will come out and link it to specific synagogue shootings. So that can be a bit more. We can get a bit more detail. I know there's a lot of community members who are waiting and wanting a bit more detail, but, yeah, as more shootings are confirmed, I think it will sort of expand that whiteboard map for journalists and for police as well.

[Jamie Poisson]

Yeah. And I saw the Toronto police chief also talk about, like, this potential overlap with an ongoing police corruption investigation called Project South. Right. So this could. All sorts of directions that this could go in.

[Abby O'Brien]

Yeah. So that he was asked about Project south, which, for those who don't know, is an ongoing police probe that saw the arrest of 21 civilians and seven active Toronto Police officers, one former retired constable, some of whom were accused of selling civilian information to facilitate violent crimes. And there is a shooter aspect. There's a. There's a group of shooters in that case who fit the description of what we're hearing. Police have not come out and confirmed a link between that case and this network. But the chief did say at his press conference that the modus apparendi is being looked at in both cases is possibly the same.

[Jamie Poisson]

Abby, this is really interesting. Thank you. Thanks so much. For coming by.

[Abby O'Brien]

Of course. Thank you for having me.

[Jamie Poisson]

All right, that is all for today. Front Burner was produced this week by Matthew Almham, Mackenzie Cameron, Bridget Stringer, Holden, Joytha Shagupta, Kevin Sexson, Cece Armstrong, and Kirsten de Jagger. Our YouTube producer is John Lee. Our music is by Joseph Chabasin. Our senior producers are Imogen Burchard and Elaine Chow. Our executive producers, Nick McKay blocos and I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you next week.

[CBC Narrator]

For more cbc podcasts, go to cbc ca podcasts.