The alleged members include men and women, and their ages range from early 20s to early 60s. They don't share a common ethnic heritage and they don't dominate a neighbourhood. They're not Mafia or Triads or outlaw bikers, but they're comfortable wheeling and dealing with such established groups.
That was the picture that emerged yesterday at a police news conference as officers announced 20 arrests on 70 charges, including illegally trafficking grow-operation marijuana and ecstasy, and the seizure of date-rape drugs and steroids.
"No-name brands were successful for grocery products," said Toronto author Antonio Nicaso, who has lectured police in Canada, the United States, Australia, France and Italy. "It's the same for organized crime."
Such gangs are part of a new wave of organized crime that isn't confined by geographic regions or ethnic ties, Nicaso said.
They may lack tradition, names and clearly defined rules, but they're a significant force in the underworld nonetheless, police say.
No-name gangs have not displaced traditional crime groups like the Mafia, but they've learned to operate comfortably alongside them.
"They can create a network according to their needs," Nicaso said. This could mean recruiting muscle, street smarts or Internet expertise to quickly move information and money, he said.
Nicaso said such groups are a natural progression for organized crime.
"It's a criminal partnership. It goes beyond ethnicity and language. Unfortunately, this is the new face of organized crime. English is the Esperanto of organized crime. It's a way to communicate. The goal is the same — to make money."
While the gang might lack a formal name, the police project that made the arrests has one: Project Bulldog. And its members were smiling broadly yesterday.
"Today we have dealt a significant blow to the criminal organizations operating here in Toronto," Toronto Police Deputy Chief Tony Warr said.
While Warr spoke, officers from the Hamilton police emergency task force, armed with submachine guns and semi-automatic pistols, stood guard at the news conference as the $3.2 million seized, and another $238,000 in counterfeit bills, were displayed on a table, along with 16 illegal firearms.
The gun power included Glock semi-automatic pistols, like those carried by the police guarding the gang's money, and a semi-automatic U.S. military pistol. Many of the seized weapons had their serial numbers filed off.
Police also seized more than 34 kilograms of cocaine, 125 litres of liquid ecstasy, 14 kilos of the date-rape drug MDMA, an unspecified large amount of steroids, counterfeiting equipment, several luxury vehicles and a cabin cruiser-style vessel in British Columbia.
Twenty-one search warrants were executed this week throughout Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara, Halton and Vancouver, and more arrests are expected, police said.
"Our investigation is continuing and we do anticipate further charges in the near future," said Ontario Provincial Police Det.-Insp. Steve Clegg, commander of the provincial weapons enforcement unit.
"This is a group that has been operating for quite a while," he said. "This criminal organization developed over years and expanded its tentacles."
This new type of organized crime requires different policing tactics. As organized criminals learn to co-operate, police must do the same, experts say.
About 100 officers from about a dozen police forces were involved in the 14-month undercover project.
"This non-traditional organized crime group was extremely fluid between jurisdictions," Clegg said.
He said the operation was sparked after an alert traffic cop noticed something odd when he pulled over a vehicle on the Queen Elizabeth Way in 2003. Clegg wouldn't comment on what the officer noted or the officer's identity.
"It was the intuition aspect of that particular officer who conducted a routine traffic stop," he said. "That particular officer will probably be quite surprised."