Jamestown cresent was my street that I was born and raise there in the first 22 years,(I`am the first youngest to ever lived there then anyone in the world),Read this news-------------------------------------------------------------------------Police Display Weapons Seized In Gang Raids---------------------------------------
Friday May 19, 2006
It was the biggest gang sweep in Toronto Police history.
And it was even larger than we first thought.
Cops have now totaled all the arrests from their pre-dawn raids on Thursday, and say 106 people are in custody and over 1,000 charges have been laid against them.
And while the alleged ringleaders of the Jamestown Crew remain in custody as the endless procession of suspects parade through the courts, cops know there will be at least one immediate effect from their handiwork - an arsenal of weapons is off the street.
They came from a criminal network that has been funneling guns into Canada from Texas.
And when they were laid end to end at Police Headquarters on Friday (top left), there appeared to be enough to equip a small army.
"The Provincial Weapons Unit, in partnership with United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, identified this distribution network responsible for supplying in excess of 100 firearms and a large quantity of ammunition throughout Southern Ontario," explains Insp. Steve Clegg of the O.P.P.'s Weapons Enforcement Unit.
"To date, 24 of these firearms have been seized and are in police custody. A significant number of these firearms have been seized directly from gang members identified in this investigation.
"Additionally, these firearms traffickers operated a large-scale cocaine distribution network throughout Southern Ontario."
In addition to cash, vehicles, drugs, handguns, and machine pistols, cops also confiscated a fully automatic AK-47 assault rifle.
The Jamestown Crew is not only a violent street gang that spreads violence, chaos and drugs in Rexdale, their tentacles are spread out over a much wider area.
"The Jamestown Crew or the Jamestown Crips were associated to a member of a street gang or criminal organization in Montreal, and working between each other in regards to the distribution of firearms and narcotics," reveals Chief Bill Blair.
The sheer volume of arrests has created something of a traffic jam in the already over clogged justice system. The Finch Ave. courts had so many defendants inside its hallowed halls on Friday, many won't get their bail hearing until at least Tuesday or Wednesday.
But with police contending the suspects are members of a dangerous gang, will those charged actually make bail?
"We already know there are some people who have been wrongfully arrested," points out J.S. Vijay, a lawyer for some of the accused. "And we're hoping our clients are belonging to that group."
The fallout from the raid continues to haunt many in the Rexdale community.
Joseline Ochoa is friends with one of the young women hauled in early Thursday. She's angry about the way the operation was carried out and claims in the case of her pal, cops detained her entire family.
"They destroyed homes," she charges. "They were pointing guns in little kids' faces. They came in and just took everyone."
But most residents admit they feel a little safer, although they wonder what happens if some of those accused wind up out on bail and right back where they started from.
Police raid by the numbers: Updated
Target Group: A gang known as the Jamestown Crew
Main strength: Jamestown Housing complex, but influence felt throughout the G.T.A., into Ontario and Quebec.
Number of search warrants: 115
Arrested and charged: 106 suspects
Still being sought: 8 fugitives
Youngest: 17
Average age range: 22-27
Breakdown: 72 males, 24 females, 10 young offenders.
Total number of charges: More than 1,000
Partial list of charges:
Attempt Murder,
Trafficking in firearms,
Conspiracy to traffic in firearms,
Possession of prohibited firearm with ammunition,
Possession of a prohibited firearm,
Possession of prohibited weapon,
Conspiracy to traffic in cocaine,
Conspiracy to traffic ecstasy,
Conspiracy to traffic marijuana,
Conspiracy to traffic in hashish,
Trafficking in marijuana,
Traffic in cocaine,
Traffic in ecstasy,
Attempt to obstruct justice,
Obstruct justice,
Conspiracy to commit robbery,
Procuring a person under the age of eighteen,
Procuring ? administrating drugs,
Living off the avails of prostitution,
Possession of proceeds of crime.
Instructing commission of an offence for criminal organization,
Commit criminal offence in association with a criminal organization,
Participate in activities of criminal organization (trafficking drugs),
Participate in activities of criminal organization (trafficking firearm),
Forces involved:
O.P.P.,
Peel Regional Police,
York Regional Police,
Durham Regional Police,
Brantford Police,
Montreal Urban Police,
R.C.M.P.,
More than 600 officers overall.
Warrants served:
Toronto Police: 80 + 3 (jail),
Peel Region: 15,
Brantford: 9,
York Region: 3,
Montreal: 2,
Bolton - Caledon OPP: 1,
Milton (Halton): 1 (jail),
Kingston: 1 (jail),
Firearms seized:
Handguns: 24,
Long guns: 3,
Assault Rifle: 1,
Machine Pistols: 3,
Sawed?Offs: 2,
Replicas: 3
Also: Tasers, cross?bows, knives, four bulletproof vests
Drugs:
Drugs seized
Cocaine: 17.5 kilos,
Marijuana: 6.5 kilos,
Also: hashish, ecstasy, and crystal meth
Money recovered: Canadian: $339,000, U.S.: $50,000.
Declared as proceeds of crime: 4 vehicles and one motorcycle ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here is better info where I live now,well 20 minutes drive from there,I use to live in those areas for 22 years but the first 22 years I lived in Jamestown.... -Jamestown Crips- Based in the Jamestown cresent area of Rexdale, this gang was believed to be one of the most sophisticated and violent gangs in Toronto, Canada. Also known as "doomstown", the Jamestown Crips are long rivals of the Ardwick Blood Crew Chink pack, both of whom were subjected to major police raids respectively. In early 2000, this gang was engaged in a bloody battle with the Mount Olive Crips gang, leaving numerous casualties behind. This gang was recently implicated in the joint police raid known as PROCJECT XXX, which saw 1000 plus charges laid. In the year 2001 a new menber join the crips, Camilo Fernando Eloi Silva. Camilo Fernando Eloi Silva was originally from Brazil, his family moved to Canada in 1996,do to his father political work Celso Silva , his father was a diplomat and worked for the Brazilian Embassy. By the time Camilo Silva turned thirteen he was the leader of T.O Crips, they called him Prophet. In 2001 Camilo Silva became more involve with criminal activities by joinnig the Italians and Portuguese crime organisation Maffia .When He was fourteen years old he became parteners and the right hand of Franco Lucio Benzino also recognise by his ganster names Franky, Benzino and El Papa Benzino the Pope . Franco Lucio Benzino was a big time mobster in Toronto, Canada, he moved to Toronto in the late 90's, in 1991 he started his own family and crime organisation controlling 78% of crimes in Toronto ,legal and ilegal business. Franco Lucio Benzino maffia during 1994 to 1997 had already made:
$157 000,000,000 USD
$189 000,000,000 CAD
In that same year Camilo Silva join Benzino crime organisation, he was also given a nick name Bambino, The boy .The police chief force sargent Mackenzie had an arrest warrant for Franco Benzino and Camilo Silva, but the Toronto Police Department didn't find enough evidence to charge Franco Benzino, however Toronto Police Department did find enough conviction to charge Mr.Silva with three bank robberies , Narcotics, gambling, loan-sharking, cigarette smuggling, counterfeiting and fraud papers. Camilo Fernando Eloi Silva was never arrested do to diplomatic amunity. In 2002 Camilo Fernando Eloi Silva left the Benzino family and went back to Brazil.
8 municipalities in which search warrants were executed, 83 of the warrants were in Toronto
24 women arrested
72 men arrested
10 youths arrested
36 firearms confiscated, including 24 handguns, 4 assault rifle, 3 machine pistols and 3 replicas
$339,000 Canadian seized
US$50,000 seized
4 vehicles seized
----This gang was alleged to have links to other U.S criminal entities.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jamestown Crew had links to L.A. gang >>>
The Jamestown street gang dismantled early on Thursday in a raid modelled itself after the notorious L.A. Crips and imported its weaponry from Texas, Toronto police said yesterday.
Investigators gave reporters a post-mortem on the raid, which resulted in than 100 people from as far away as Kingston and Montreal making court appearances yesterday.
The Jamestown Crips -- based in a Rexdale public housing complex and also known as the Jamestown Crew -- are now "basically defunct," police say. In total, 106 people have been arrested and eight fugitives are being sought.
A 14-year-old young offender has been charged with attempted murder.
Police said the raids were the first step in a plan to "restore" the Martingrove Road and Finch Avenue neighbourhood.
"This will give the community a sense of security and safety that has been lacking in the last few years," Deputy Chief Tony Warr said yesterday. "The Jamestown Crew, or the Jamestown Crips ... have held this area in fear, for a long, long time."
Police say the Jamestown Crips modelled themselves after the notorious Crips gangs that originated in the Los Angeles slums.
The local members grew up together in the Jamestown Crescent public housing complex. With time, the gang's control over the neighbourhood -- and the fear it perpetuated -- also grew, police say.
Some of those arrested this week are accused of trying to kill rivals. Police say disputes over turf or over property -- which includes women -- often result in shootings.
But it is also about saving face. "If a gang member has been publicly disrespected, there must be retaliation," said Staff Superintendent Richard Gauthier, in charge of Toronto police's detective services unit.
The "diss" can come in the form of a look, or a walk through a known gang area wearing an opposing gang's colours.
The Jamestown Crips are alleged to have been involved in drug and gun smuggling.
Inspector Steve Clegg, from the Ontario Provincial Police Weapons Enforcement Unit, said Thursday's raids dealt a "significant blow" to a gun-trafficking network that originated in Houston. There, a criminal organization with ties to the Jamestown Crips is alleged to have exported at least 180 firearms to Canada -- and into the hands of various gangs. Twenty-four of those firearms have been seized, Insp. Clegg said yesterday, many of them from individuals arrested this week.
Inspector Greg Getty, who led Thursday's raids, said they were part of a concerted effort to clean up the city's streets. "I would love to be able to stand here today and tell you that these are all of the firearms in possession of all the gangs in Toronto. I'd be lying," he said. "But we are going to continue to work with our partners to dismantle each and every one of them, one neighbourhood at a time."
BY THE NUMBERS:
1,000 plus charges laid
8 municipalities in which search warrants were executed, 83 of the warrants were in Toronto
24 women arrested
72 men arrested
10 youths arrested
36 firearms confiscated, including 24 handguns, 1 assault rifle, 3 machine pistols and 3 replicas
C$339,000 seized
US$50,000 seized
4 vehicles seized -------------------------------------------------------------------
