18 arrested in connection with criminal network linked to towing industry: Peel police

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 1:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Peel constabulary accidental officers person arrested 18 radical and seized much than $4.2 cardinal successful assets pursuing the dismantling of a Brampton-based organized transgression web linked to the towing industry.

Investigators released details Monday of an ongoing probe into a transgression enactment believed to beryllium down a important fig of extortion incidents and related acts of unit successful the region.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the 11-month probe began successful effect to a emergence successful convulsive extortion threats, peculiarly targeting the South Asian assemblage and concern owners.

"A ample fig of the extortions we person been investigating implicit these years tin beryllium attributed to this transgression enactment and those associated with it," said Duraiappah astatine a news league Monday.

Seventeen men from Brampton and 1 pistillate from King City present look a full of 97 charges, including extortion, participating successful and instructing a transgression organization, and conducting staged collision offences. Police said astir fractional of those charged were connected a signifier of judicial merchandise astatine the clip of their arrest.

Several of those accused were recovered to beryllium associated with towing companies operating nether the names Certified Roadside and Humble Roadside, constabulary said. 

Investigators said the radical attempted to extort "hundreds of thousands of dollars" from radical by engaging successful security fraud by staging conveyance collisions and utilizing threats, assaults, and firearms to exert power implicit section towing operations.

Peel Regional Police Det. Brian Lorette said helium couldn't supply details astir the staged incidents, but helium did say they were "fraudulent successful each aspect."

"These are collisions that are often happening connected our roadways, which evidently person a nationalist information impact, sometimes including police, ambulance, and occurrence attending the country and they proceed with fraud each the mode done the reporting and the security manufacture to reap the worldly benefits of the fraud," said Lorette astatine the quality league Monday.

Police said an estimated $4.2 cardinal worthy of assets was seized arsenic portion of the probe, including 18 tow trucks, 4 high-end idiosyncratic vehicles, and 5 stolen vehicles.

Police besides seized six firearms, 586 rounds of ammunition, two bulletproof vests, and assorted weapons.

The seizures occurred during the execution of a bid of hunt warrants successful Peel Region, Caledon, York Region, and Toronto.

Police accidental they expect further arrests and charges, arsenic the probe is ongoing.