Joint Police Task Force Cracks Down on Extortion Network, Delivering Major Results

by MAYOR ANNETTE GROVES

Since 2023, a police Extortion Task Force has been working tirelessly to address violent extortion incidents affecting our communities, including threats, financial demands, shootings, and arsons.

This work reflects a shared commitment to protecting residents, supporting victims, and ensuring people feel safe where they live and work.

In December 2025, a Joint Forces Operation was launched involving Peel Regional Police (PRP), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC). Through this collaborative effort, 17 individuals — many with ties to an international criminal network — were arrested for targeting business owners and community members across the region, as well as throughout Canada and the United States.

I would like to sincerely thank Caledon OPP for their important role within the Extortion Task Force. Their continued efforts have been instrumental in addressing extortion offences impacting the South Asian community across Central and Southwestern Ontario.

Caledon OPP played a key role in the December 2025 joint investigative task force involving Peel Regional Police, the OPP, and the Canada Border Services Agency. Together, the task force has been actively investigating extortion-related offences across multiple jurisdictions.

Throughout March and April 2026, OPP investigators worked seamlessly alongside the PRP task force, demonstrating the strength of collaboration and shared resolve among our policing partners.

Caledon OPP investigators are also working closely with law enforcement partners in British Columbia and Alberta, where similar extortion activity has been identified. To date, OPP investigators have laid charges against 12 individuals, resulting in a total of 42 criminal offences. This is in addition to the 17 individuals charged as part of the recent PRP investigation into the organized crime group highlighted during PRP's media conference.

“The Ontario Provincial Police is proud to stand with our partners as a member of the Extortion Task Force. These crimes are having a serious impact on communities across central and western Ontario, with those responsible showing no regard for the fear and harm they cause. While progress has been made, we remain committed to working with our partners to identify, locate and hold these individuals accountable to ensure that residents feel safe in their communities.” – Chief Superintendent Karen Gonneau, Investigation and Support Bureau, Ontario Provincial Police