Toronto Police Service (TPS) Chief Myron Demkiw announced on 5/2 that at least 8 current and former officers were arrested during Project South, a major organized crime investigation.

The officers are accused of accepting bribes, assisting drug traffickers, and leaking personal information to enable criminal gangs to commit acts of gun violence. They also allegedly helped gang members plan the murder of a corrections officer.

Demkiw (left) at the 5/2 press conference with MacSween (center) and Hogan (right). *Photo: AP*

The investigation, dubbed Project South, began in 6/2025 following an attempted murder of a corrections officer at a Toronto prison. Corrupt officers allegedly accessed police databases illegally to obtain information about the officer, which they then provided to gang members.

Masked gunmen later appeared outside the corrections officer's home and rammed a patrol car in the driveway. Police subsequently apprehended the gunmen, and the corrections officer was not harmed in the incident.

The ongoing investigation has resulted in at least 30 additional arrests, including 7 individuals suspected of involvement in the attempted murder and 4 identified as gang members.

Ryan Hogan, a senior police official in York, called this one of the most complex and difficult investigations of his 30-year career. The officers also face accusations of protecting fentanyl and cannabis traffickers.

"This is a sad and deeply disappointing day for the police force", York Police Chief Jim MacSween stated at the press conference. TPS, Canada's largest municipal police force, employs over 8,000 personnel.

Sources: Guardian, CBC, CTV News