Peel Regional Police seize weapons, $1.2M in drugs and cash in Project Baron

March 26, 2019

Peel Regional Police seized more than $1.2 million worth of drugs and cash, along with 26 firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition as part of a three-month investigation targeting what the force is calling a drug-trafficking ring.

Interim Chief Chris McCord said the seizure as part of Project Baron represents one of the largest in Peel police’s history.

Most of the 26 firearms were found loaded in a Rexdale storage locker, McCord said, and some had been modified so they could deliver the most amount of damage in the shortest amount of time.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said confiscating the weapons is a “step toward peace of mind and safety.”

Project Baron was launched in January, when Peel’s Vice, Narcotics and Street Level Organized Crime Unit launched an investigation into a 35-year-old Brampton man who was allegedly trafficking narcotics within the region.

Following the man’s arrest last week, police executed a string of search warrants turning up large quantities of guns, drugs and cash. Officials allege the suspect used custom concealment methods to hide a lot of the contraband.

The suspect is now facing more than 60 criminal charges.

Meanwhile, police are trying to figure out where the guns came from and how they ended up in the suspect’s possession.