Toronto police officers arrested after investigation reveals mob-linked murder plot, bribery and drug trafficking

Seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer have been arrested and charged in an organized crime investigation involving bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking, authorities said Thursday.

Police officials at a news conference said the officers had collected personal and private information unlawfully and distributed it to organized crime figures, in some cases for bribes, and that mobsters then carried out shootings and other violent crimes.

"This is a painful and unsettling moment," Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said. "When organized crime penetrates the Toronto Police Service, the harm goes far beyond the immediate wrongdoing."

York Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan said the investigation began in June when police uncovered a murder plot involving a corrections management employee who was being targeted by mobsters. He said the suspects had passed information to the mobsters about the employee.

Several suspected mobsters went to the corrections manager's home for the purpose of murdering him, but encountered a separate contingent of police officers who were protecting the employee and who arrested the suspected mobsters after they rammed a police car, Hogan said.

Hogan said it was the third time within 36 hours that suspects had gone to the home, and the incident sparked the investigation that revealed Toronto officers had accessed personal information and leaked it to members of an organized crime group.

Investigators allege that Toronto police Const. Timothy Barnhardt gave personal information to Brian Da Costa, a man suspected of several drug trafficking and bribery offenses who was among several suspects allegedly seeking confidential information from officers.

"We allege that Mr. Da Costa is a key figure in a criminal network operating within the Greater Toronto Area, with in fact significant international ties," Hogan said.

Barnhardt, 56, is also accused of accepting bribes to protect illegal cannabis dispensaries as well as being involved in cocaine trafficking, CBC News reported.

Toronto police officers Derek McCormick, Elias Mouawad, John Madeley Jr. and his father, retired constable John Madeley Sr., are among those charged in the investigation.

Last month, police announced charges against Madeley Sr. in an extortion investigation related to illegal gaming and betting tied to organized crime. 

McCormick, 57, is accused of stealing government-issued identification, passports and bank cards that were taken to police, CBC News reported. He was arrested last month.

Toronto police officers Barnhardt, Robert Black, Saurabjit Bedi and Carl Grellette were also charged, and were allegedly involved in bribery schemes orchestrated by Da Costa, Hogan said.

"We allege that these officers in particular were involved with Mr. Da Costa in supporting illegal cannabis dispensaries by accepting bribes to provide, ultimately, protection from law enforcement investigation," he said, adding some of the accused officers were also allegedly involved in cocaine trafficking.

In addition to Da Costa, 18 other suspects were arrested in the investigation, including two youths.

Demkiw said the officers who were suspected of wrongdoing have been suspended and that he's seeking suspension without pay for at least four of them.

York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said it was a "deeply disappointing and sad day" for police.

"This investigation also underscores the insidious corrosive of organized crime. It highlights how these criminals find a way even the most well protected institutions across our society."

Clayton Campbell, the president of Toronto's police association, said he was disturbed by the allegations and said legal support for members charged in criminal cases is not guaranteed and is determined on a case-by-case basis.

"In fact, there is nothing our members or the (Toronto Police Association) hate more than a corrupt cop," Campbell said in a statement.

A statement from the Toronto Police Service Board, which oversees the police, said it has asked the inspector general to look into issues including supervision, recruitment screening, access to databases and more.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said residents of Toronto deserve to know that the police officers they deal with every day can be trusted.