Pubdate: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2011 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Curtis Rush, Police Reporter 'COMIC BOOK' GANG RAIDS NAB 60 PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY Some of the alleged gang members rounded up across the country Tuesday in a series of early-morning raids were youths not much beyond the comic-book-reading age. Of the 60 arrests, 10 of the accused are 17 and under, and some may even be as young as 14, police said. In fact, they are so young that police nicknamed their investigation Project Marvel as many gang members took on the names of Marvel Comics superheroes. The gang with the youngest members is named Young Buck Killaz and the older group is known as the G-Siders because they operated on the Gosford Blvd. side of Jane St. In one of the largest joint-forces operations ever in Canada, more than 900 officers across the country executed 67 search warrants and arrested 60 people. By the time everyone is processed, police expect more than 300 charges will be laid. More information about the charges and evidence seized, such as drugs, weapons and cash, will be detailed at a news conference on Wednesday. Both gangs operated in the northwest corner of the city, and terrorized their neighbourhoods as they fought for control of that territory with shootings, robberies and drug trafficking, police said. What is different about these gangs is how widespread they became, moving beyond Ontario and into western cities such as Fort McMurray, Alta., and Surrey, B.C. Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said this was a "oelevel of mobility among street gangs that we had not previously witnessed in this city." The high level of enforcement in the Toronto area pushed many gang members to locate elsewhere, police said. The gangs were "well organized and ruthless," said Supt. Chris White, who leads the organized crime unit in Toronto. The project was launched in May after a robbery in the Jane-Finch area and a shooting that followed. The investigation grew to involve police in Waterloo and London, as well as the OPP. Det. Sgt. Chris McKoy of the London Police Service said some of the gang links have been traced to six shootings in that area since the beginning of the year. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.