York Regional Police Organized Crime and Intelligence Services have laid charges in relation to organized criminal activity involving tow truck companies in the GTA
Police say the GTA has been the scene of a violent rivalry over control of the towing market and the opportunity for fraud therein.
“Organized crime does not always come in the form that we expect” says Mike Slack, Superintendent with York Regional Police. “It does not always have a name like the mafia or street gangs, its members don’t always wear colours nor do they necessarily have origins that are several decades old.”
Police say these rival towing groups have been defrauding insurance companies with vehicles involved in collisions and staged collisions.
The tow companies involved partnered with auto repair shops, as well as car and truck rental companies in order to carry out the fraud.
“Their fraudulent billing, fraudulent repair and fraudulent physiotherapy claims have earned these groups millions of dollars in illicit income” says Slack. “When these profits were not enough, they staged collisions using drivers they recruited – deliberately causing collisions in roadways and parking lots across the GTA.”
These fraudulent claims were paid by insurance companies.
As a result, they began to peruse legal action against various tow truck companies.
Carr Law, a law firm in the city of Vaughan, became the target of violence, threats and extortion after it was hired by the insurance companies.
In connection with the attack at Carr Law, police arrested Thomas Sliwinski of Oakville, Qualid Abderezak and Zakariye Yousuf of Toronto.
The three suspects face 22 charges including extortion, robbery, attempted murder and several weapons related charges.
In February 2020, York Regional Police, working with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Toronto Police Service (TPS) and the Canada Revenue Agency launched a joint investigation called “Project Platinum.”
The investigation revealed several organized criminal groups within the towing industry that have used violence and property damage to gain control and territory within the industry.
As part of Project Platinum, York Regional Police service with the help of the York Regional Police Emergency Response Unit arrested five suspects in Brantford and Hamilton between April 30 and May 1, 2020.
Marena Leachman of Ramara Township, Salloum Jassem and Seif Jassem of Brantford, Heather Rowbottom and Mostafa Askari of Hamilton are facing 52 charges between them including conspiracy to commit murder, possession of fentanyl and cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, 23 counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, participation in offences for a criminal organization and perjury.
Then on May 20, York Regional Police – with assistance from the OPP and TPS – executed 21 search warrants at residences and businesses in the cities of Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Hamilton, Oakville, Toronto and the towns of Aurora and East Gwillimbury.
Police seized 11 tow trucks, 16 handguns, 13 shotguns, nine rifles, a machine gun, an air pistol converted to a .22 calibre pistol, a sawed-off shotgun, three high-capacity drum machine guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition of various calibers, two conductive energy weapons, brass knuckles, five kilograms of fentanyl, one and a half kilograms of cocaine, more than a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, one and a half kilograms of cannabis and more than $500,000 in cash.
Three additional suspects were arrested and charged.
Pilippo Genova of Toronto, Alexander Vinogradsky and Omer Zahawi of Vaughan face 23 charges between them including participation in a criminal organization, fraud, mischief and arson.
Police also charged Mohamad El-Zahawi of Toronto with first degree murder and arrested 8 additional suspects who face more than 90 charges related to drug trafficking, weapons possession and organized crime.
The investigation is still ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact the York Regional Police Organized Crime and Intelligence Services.
