Officers ousted
Nine Toronto Police Services (TPS) officers have been arrested and charged as part of a gambling, organized crime, and corruption investigation.
According to the Toronto Sun on Wednesday, the multiple arrests followed the January 14 arrest of ex-TPS officer John Madeley, 55, a 28-year veteran of the force who retired last April.
pressured and threatened for money by Madeley and his associates
Madeley allegedly worked with an organized crime ring to direct victims to iGaming sites where they would place bets on credit and then be pressured and threatened for money by Madeley and his associates.
The new twist with multiple TPS officers involved, and even an undisclosed amount of other police services personnel, revealed participants in the crime network were allegedly involved in auto theft, drug trafficking, extortion and conspiracy to commit murder.
Stain on the service
According to reports, the nine TPS officers are also accused of sharing victims’ addresses with paid killers “and leaking police officer addresses.”
An alleged conspiracy to murder a Toronto South Detention Centre unit commander has made the arrests headline news.
one of the darkest days in the history of the Toronto Police Service”
The Sun cited a police source with knowledge of the York Regional Police (YRP) investigation stating that if the allegations were true, it would be “absolutely horrendous” and “one of the darkest days in the history of the Toronto Police Service.”
Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell, however, said on Wednesday that the union was aware of “several of its members who were arrested” without divulging further information.
More to come
A news conference is scheduled for Thursday in which YRP Chief Jim MacSween and TPS Chief Myron Demkiw “will announce the results of a lengthy investigation into organized crime and corruption.”
Madeley, meanwhile, is said to have retired from a TPS division in northwest Toronto “where a number of the arrested cops were stationed.”
Of the nine arrested, several are senior officers with over ten years’ service on the force. The YRP stated its investigators expressed concern about potentially more victims.
