Employees involved in series of ‘coordinated’ bank robberies across Ontario: Police – CP24

Four suspects are in custody and another man is wanted in connection with a series of “coordinated” bank robberies across Ontario over a 16-month period, Ontario Provincial Police say.

At a press conference on Tuesday, police officers from several Ontario law enforcement agencies were present to discuss the results of the multi-jurisdictional investigation, dubbed Project Opal.

According to investigators, a group of suspects were responsible for eight bank robberies that occurred in Western, Central and Eastern Ontario between December 8, 2022 and March 16, 2024.

The robberies, investigators said, occurred in areas policed ​​by the OPP, Barrie Police Service, Belleville Police Service, Durham Regional Police, Niagara Regional Police and York Regional Police.

Each police force began investigating bank robberies in their respective regions and “quickly determined” that the robberies were part of a “larger, more coordinated operation,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns told reporters Tuesday morning.

Police said the robberies each involved two to three people who entered the bank shortly before closing time. Disguises were used and gloves were worn to avoid leaving fingerprints at the scene, investigators said.

‘Significant emotional distress’

According to police, bank employees were tied up in the last six robberies.

Kearns said the 20 victims who were in the banks at the time of the robberies were not physically injured.

“The individuals involved in these terrifying events have endured significant emotional distress and trauma,” he added.

On June 21, 2024, police said three suspects were taken into custody after officers intercepted a planned robbery at a bank in Field, Ontario, north of Sturgeon Falls.

“Officers determined that there was an attempted robbery. They made sure the residents of the bank were safe before making the arrests,” said OPP Det. Insp. said Brian McDermott.

He added that the OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, as well as the Aviation Unit, made the arrests with the support of Project Opal members.

A fourth suspect was arrested by police in Vaughan in September, police said, and the fifth suspect remains at large. He has been identified by police as Akeem Williams, from Ajax.

Combined, the suspects face more than 50 charges, including robbery with a firearm and forcible confinement, police said.

About $2 million was stolen during the robberies and the money has not yet been recovered, police said.