Dozens of people have been charged after police from across southwestern Ontario and Ottawa raided a suspected gambling ring overnight in Toronto's north-end.
At least 60 heavily armed officers descended on the Thornhill Social Club located at 1126 Finch Ave. W., near Dufferin Street, at about 11 p.m. on Thursday.
Police allegedly seized bags of cash, poker chips, card tables and other gambling paraphernalia in the raid.
Investigators say 61 people have been arrested:
- 53 were charged with being found in a gaming house;
- 8 were charged with keep a common gaming house;
- One person was charged with possession of cocaine.
Dave Chancey works at business two doors down from the club. He says he never saw anything out of the ordinary.
"Once in a while you'll see a bunch of people out there having a smoke ... but otherwise, I can't say I've seen anything," he said.
The club was the scene of a violent robbery last November. In that incident, armed men burst in, fired shots into the ceiling and forced patrons to the floor, pistol-whipping some of them.
The suspects led police on a brief car chase on Highway 401, but the pursuit was called off after shots were fired at the officers. No arrests were made in that case.
Authorities say all of the accused arrested Thursday were released from custody. They are scheduled to appear at the Finch Avenue courts on Dec. 20.
The raid was the result of an 11-month joint operation that included officers from Toronto, York, London, Durham, Windsor, Hamilton, Ottawa and the Ontario Provincial Police.
With a report from CTV's Roger Petersen
