Police say a lengthy, cross-border firearms trafficking investigation has led to the arrests of 42 people and the seizure of 173 guns in Canada and the U.S.
Toronto police announced Tuesday morning the results of Project Moneypenny, a joint investigation first started in March 2022 and carried out with several Ontario police forces, Canadian border agents and U.S. law enforcement.
Police say undercover officers helped expose the gun trafficking network, with the majority of the guns being smuggled into Canada from the U.S. and then sold illegally.
They say between November 2022 and March this year, police arrested 42 people on 422 criminal charges after carrying out search warrants in Toronto, Peel Region and Durham Region.
Police say 86 of the guns were recovered in the Greater Toronto Area, while the other 87 were seized in Illinois.
Police say the investigation also resulted in the seizure of over 1,400 rounds of ammunition, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl and 1.8 kilograms of cocaine.