A total of 23 people are in custody as a result of an investigation into an illegal gun-making ring.
That number includes Bruce McKinnon, 47, of Rockwood. He faced a total of 28 charges in connection to the investigation.
Police say he and another man from the Hamilton area were behind an operation that produced and sold over 120 guns to Toronto street gangs.
“We have reason to believe the two main accused, Bruce McKinnon and Jon Rasmussen, have combined to manufacture and traffic in excess of 120 handguns,” said Supt. Bryan MacKillop with the OPP.
Police say the firearms were made with unregulated parts, making them difficult to trace.
They began investigating in 2017 after investigators noticed them beginning to appear throughout the GTA.
Toronto has seen nearly 400 shootings so far this year, resulting in 47 people dying.
The OPP along with eight other police forces conducted 39 raids last week.
Handguns, body armour, silencers, grenades and stun guns were recovered, along with an estimated $85,000 in cash.
The project team also recovered over a kilogram of cocaine, 30 grams of methamphetamine, 13 grams of heroin and 66 fentanyl tablets.
Police did not say where McKinnon was arrested or where the guns were made.
All 23 accused remained in custody and will appear in court in the near future.
