23 guns seized in GTA firearms trafficking investigation with cross-border ties

Peel Regional Police say more than half of the guns seized in a months-long firearm-trafficking investigation originated from the U.S., including one used in a fatal double shooting.

Officers seized 23 guns, several of which are prohibited in Canada, Det. Sgt. Mark Mazzocato announced Tuesday. Of those, 15 originated in the U.S.

“Approximately 90 per cent of the illegal firearms that we see originate from the U.S.,” Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said. “This investigation is a textbook example of the reality we are experiencing here in the GTA and elsewhere throughout the country.”

Project Red Zone, as the investigation has been dubbed, began in October 2025 after investigators identified information that suggested illegal firearms were being trafficked in and out of the region.

Over the course of 10 months, police conducted four search warrants in Mississauga, Ajax and Scarborough, and seized the 23 guns along with more than 950 rounds of ammunition and nearly 825 grams of cocaine.

Officers said 14 of the guns have been linked to shootings in the GTA.

One of those incidents was a double shooting in the area of Queensway and Dixie Road in Mississauga in March 2024 that left a 28-year-old Toronto man dead. Another man was left with serious injuries.

Police said the gun used in that shooting originated in Texas and there was approximately 4,000 days between when the gun was purchased to when the crime was committed.

The trucking industry and Pearson International Airport are two of the major avenues through which illegal firearms enter Canada, Det. Michael Bishop said.

“The reality is we do see Peel as a gateway to the rest of the country,” Mazzocato added.

The investigation was supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario.

“We couldn’t do the work and have the results we have without the partnerships locally, nationally, even internationally,” Milinovich said. “Collectively we are making a difference in our local community and in public safety for the entire country.”

As a result of the investigation four people from the GTA have been arrested.

They now face a combined total of 58 charges, including 37 counts of firearms trafficking, 16 counts of trafficking of a controlled substance and three counts of trafficking ammunition.