Caledon pharmacy robbery suspects charged in $980,000 stolen property take-down
Published April 13, 2023 at 9:53 am
Members of an alleged crime ring tied to dozens of robberies, carjackings and hold-ups across the GTA are facing charges for a pair of armed pharmacy hold-ups in Caledon.
Just before 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, the OPP says there was a robbery at a pharmacy on King St. East in the Town of Caledon. Police say two men entered the pharmacy with a gun and demanded narcotics while a third suspect waited outside in a black sedan. The suspects made off with cash and drugs, police say.
One week later on Spet. 30, the Caledon OPP responded to a second robbery around 10:45 a.m. and said the suspects and vehicle were the same as the earlier hold-up. Police say the suspects again fled with drugs and cash.
More than five months later, the Toronto Police Service announced over $980,000 in stolen property had been seized in a multi-jurisdiction investigation involving officers from Toronto, Caledon, Peel, York and Halton.
Dubbed Project Repeater, the investigation looked into a string of carjackings, pharmacy robberies, and financial institution robberies across the GTA. Police said six people were arrested including three men from Brampton, and the Caledon OPP confirmed on Thursday that some of the hundreds of charges laid in the investigation are from the September robberies.
The group is linked to twenty-three pharmacy robberies, seven carjackings, two motor vehicle thefts, and two financial institution robbery calls between Aug. 21 and March 18, police say. One of the accused is a 15-year-old boy from Toronto facing over 62 combined charges including pointing a firearm, robbery with a firearm, and assault causing bodily harm.
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Toronto Police allege the group travelled in stolen vehicles when committing the crimes and used handguns, a knife or threats of physical violence to control their victims. The pharmacy robberies were what police call “takeover-style robberies”, making demands for both cash and narcotics — in particular looking for opiates.
Police are still looking for two stolen vehicles linked to the investigation — a black 2022 Cadillac Escalade with the Ontario licence plate CHDRYSB; and a black 2022 Dodge Durango with Ontario licence plate CYDM878.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents can contact investigators with the Central Robbery Bureau at (905)453-2121 ext. 3410. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca.
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