February 5, 2026
RED FM News Desk
A massive seven-month investigation, dubbed Project South, has uncovered a dangerous alliance between Toronto Police Service members and organized crime networks. York Regional Police, alongside Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, revealed on Thursday that eight current and former officers are among 27 individuals charged in a complex conspiracy involving extortion, shootings, and a thwarted plot to murder a senior Ontario corrections officer.
The investigation, which began in June 2025, alleges that the accused officers used their positions to unlawfully access confidential police databases. This sensitive information—including private addresses—was reportedly leaked to criminal entities. According to Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan, the addresses retrieved through these illegal queries later became the sites of serious criminal incidents, including commercial robberies, shootings, and extortion attempts across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
While the investigation heavily highlights the link between police corruption and the rise in local extortion and violence, authorities have not explicitly confirmed whether these specific cases are connected to the recent wave of extortions and shootings targeting the South Asian community. However, the breach of security has raised significant concerns regarding public safety and the extent to which organized crime has infiltrated law enforcement.
The most chilling aspect of the probe involves a plot to assassinate a high-ranking corrections official. Police shared surveillance footage showing three masked, armed suspects arriving at the officer’s York Region home and ramming a police cruiser in the driveway. Among those named in the conspiracy are Constable Timothy Barnhardt, accused of leaking victim data to a “key figure” in the criminal network named Brian Da Costa, and the father-son duo of retired Constable John Madeley (Sr.) and Constable John Madeley (Jr.).
Other officers facing charges include Sergeants Robert Black and Carl Grellette, and Constables Saurabjit Bedi, Derek McCormick, and Elias Mouawad. The allegations against the group range from bribery and breach of trust to drug trafficking and obstruction of justice. Chief Myron Demkiw described the findings as “shocking,” emphasizing that there is no place for corruption within the force. All accused active officers have been suspended as the legal process moves forward.
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