Toronto cop in Project South allegedly planned illegal dispensaries and massage parlours
Newly unsealed documents allege Const. Timothy Barnhardt planned to set up black-market cannabis shops and erotic massage parlours in Toronto. He is one of 27 suspects charged in Project South.
Toronto officer allegedly plotted illegal massage parlours and cannabis shops, court documents reveal
Newly unsealed warrant documents allege that Toronto police Const. Timothy Barnhardt was tasked with finding locations for black-market cannabis dispensaries and erotic massage parlours in Toronto, and with arranging protection for those sites from law enforcement, cbc.ca reports.
Barnhardt is one of eight active and retired officers among the 27 suspects charged earlier this year in Project South, a major York Region Police investigation that has uncovered allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, among other offences.
According to the information-to-obtain, or ITO, documents filed to support search warrants, Barnhardt allegedly agreed to provide advance notice of inspections, co-ordinate cash bribe payments to police and bylaw officers, and use police databases to shield the illegal operations from enforcement action.
The alleged scheme also involved Brian Da Costa, identified by police alongside Barnhardt as a key figure in the investigation, as well as several other accused individuals.
Barnhardt's lawyer declined to comment on the allegations Wednesday morning. Da Costa's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Investigators have further alleged that Barnhardt passed confidential information to Da Costa, which was then used in connection with a suspected murder plot against a correctional officer and other crimes.
Court ruling opens documents to publication
Ontario Superior Court Justice Laura Bird issued a decision Wednesday allowing the publication of a larger portion of the ITO documents, after The Canadian Press, CBC News and other media outlets challenged a publication ban and extensive redactions in court.
Bird wrote that permitting publication of most of the ITO while maintaining a temporary ban on certain portions struck a balance between open justice and the accused's right to a fair trial.
"The importance of public scrutiny in this case cannot be overstated," Bird said in her ruling.
She noted that York Region Police only discovered the alleged corruption incidentally, while investigating the conspiracy to murder the correctional officer. Investigators searched who had looked up the victim's address in police databases and found that it was allegedly Barnhardt — without, Bird said, any prior suspicion falling on him or his alleged accomplices.
"That is something that should be of tremendous concern to the public because it demonstrates that a trusted public official can engage in widespread illegal conduct and go undetected," Bird wrote.
She added that the public has a right to know how police services across Ontario are responding to the situation, and that accountability depends on full awareness of the extent of the allegations against the Project South defendants.
The allegations contained in the ITO documents represent what police believed to be true at the time of filing. They have not been tested in court.
A previous batch of documents was released in July, which shed light on an alleged connection between the Project South investigation and the case of former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding, who faces accusations of running an international drug trafficking ring.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)