York Regional Police Sgt. Goncalo Bernardo and his crew are being acknowledged by the Ontario Affiliation of Chiefs of Polices for an investigation that shut down gaming homes linked to organized crime
A York Regional Police officer is being acknowledged by the Ontario Affiliation of Chiefs of Police for main a crew of 5 officers in a crackdown on organized crime within the area.
Sgt. Goncalo Bernardo and his five-member crew, “with unwavering dedication and perseverance,” spent a yr utilizing covert and overt investigative methods to close down unlawful gaming homes in Richmond Hill, Markham and Toronto.
“The work of Sgt. Bernardo and his team resulted in the arrest of nearly 100 people, the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and the seizure of five firearms,” stated Jeff McGuire, govt director of the Ontario Affiliation of Chiefs of Police. “These efforts have strongly contributed to the safety of the citizens of York Region.”
The 2024 Ontario Affiliation of Chiefs of Police Alcohol Gaming Fee of Ontario’s Award for Excellent Investigation acknowledged the “progressive and aggressive enforcement at unlawful gaming homes to fight among the violence that passed off as a result of heavy involvement of organized crime on this profitable prison market.”
The crew leveraged neighborhood complaints, intelligence, Part 199 search warrants, cutting-edge coaching, and a partnership with the OPP Gaming Safety Unit to close down the unlawful gaming operations that had been focused in shootings, robberies, and severe assaults, York Regional Police stated.
All year long, Bernado and his crew disrupted 5 unlawful gaming operations by executing search warrants. About 10 keepers and 79 patrons of unlawful playing places have been charged, 121 prison charges laid, and 29 video playing machines and illegal gaming tables have been seized, two automobiles have been impounded, 5 illicit firearms have been confiscated, and money and belongings valued at $335,000 have been seized.
The award is introduced to a police drive or particular person who demonstrates excellence and innovation of their work within the alcohol, gaming, horse racing, or hashish retail sectors.
“The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in 1951 and is the voice of Ontario’s police leaders representing all police services in Ontario,” stated McGuire. “Every year at our annual general meeting, we present awards to police members, both civilian and sworn, for exemplary accomplishments in a number of categories.”
The crew, in a real spirit of collaboration, collected and shared worthwhile intelligence with policing companions from throughout the province, working carefully with York Regional Police’s tactical intelligence unit and the Ontario Provincial Police’s gaming safety unit, he stated. One intelligence coup included the identification of a topic at an unlawful gaming home suspected of laundering greater than $800,000 by means of Ontario casinos.
