Monstarz, alleged gang members, arrested in pre-dawn raids

Police arrested 32alleged gang members and affiliates during pre-dawnraids across the GTA Thursday morning as part of an investigation into a criminal group that they say isinvolved in drug and weapons trafficking.

The raids occurred around 5 a.m. and were part of Project Pharaoh, an ongoing investigation headed up by the Integrated Gun & Gang Task Force into a gang known as the "Monstarz."

The group was primarily operating in northwest Toronto, but their reach extended across southwestern Ontario, according to police.

Interestingly, the alleged gang's name harkens to the cartoon villains in the 1996 animated film Space Jam a team of evil extraterrestrial basketball players who call themselves 'Monstars.' Police did not say whether the film was a source of inspiration for the name of the alleged criminal group.

• RCMPraidsmade 'significant dent' in 'Ndranghetacrime group

Nearly 750 officers from the RCMP and forces in Toronto, York, Guelph, Durham and Hamilton assisted in executing 50 search warrants that netted drugs, including 33kilograms of cocaine, 14firearms and $196,000 in cash.

At a news conference, a Toronto police investigator describedMonstarzas a mid-level gang. The investigation was initiated after police discovered the gang was allegedly involved in 44 instances of violence in Toronto.

Police said they will provide more details about the group and its alleged crimes at another news conference Friday morning.

The raids come just two days after RCMP forces, in conjunction with several local forces including Toronto and York, arrested 19 people at 25 locations through the GTA.

The RCMP said Wednesday the arrests were part of an effort to dismantle Canadian cells of the'Ndrangheta criminal organization, which has its origins in southern Italy.