A Brantford man is one of eight people facing charges after a multi-agency task force investigation into violent auto thefts and home invasions across the Greater Toronto Area.
Jahiem James, 22-years-old from Brantford, is facing ten charges stemming from the investigation, including:
•Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence – theft of motor vehicle, s. 465(1)(c)
•Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence – robbery, s. 465 (1)(c)
•Conspiracy to commit an indictable offence – trafficking of property obtained by crime, s. 465 (1)(c)
•Careless storage of a firearm, weapons, prohibited device/ammunition, s. 86(1)
•Knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm, s. 92(1)
•Possession of prohibited device/ammunition knowing its possession is unauthorized, s. 92(2)
•Occupant of a motor vehicle knowing there is a firearm, s. 94(1)
•Possession of loaded prohibited/restricted firearm, s. 95(1)
•Possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, s. 354(1)(a)
•Breach of probation, s. 733.1(1)
In March 2024, an intelligence-led investigation named Project Titanium began after the Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF), co-led by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and Toronto Police Service (TPS), identified a criminal network involved in violent auto thefts, home invasions and other non-violent auto thefts. Due to the nature of the investigation, the OPP-led Provincial Auto Theft and Towing (PATT) Team provided assistance with members from TPS, Peel Regional Police (PRP), York Regional Police (YRP) and Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS), as well as the Criminal Intelligence Service Ontario (CISO).
Twenty-three stolen vehicles with a value of approximately $5 million have been recovered and eight individuals are facing 103 charges, including robbery and firearms charges, relating to an auto theft investigation involving home invasions and other crimes throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding regions.
“Vehicle crime is a complex issue, but one thing is simple; our communities deserve to feel safe when they lay their heads down at night. It is the right of every Ontarian to feel at ease in their home, in their communities, and to feel protected by law enforcement. I would like to thank our partner agencies for the assistance with Project Titanium and TPS for co-leading the PCJTF. The results of these collective efforts demonstrate the importance of collaboration between law enforcement partners across the province,” said OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns, Investigations and Organized Crime.
On June 18 and 19, 2024, search warrants were executed on six vehicles and four locations throughout Peel Region and Toronto, by members from the PATT Team, OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, OPP Central Community Street Crime Units, OPP-led Provincial Asset Forfeiture Unit, Provincial Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad, PRP Tactical and Rescue Unit, TPS Emergency Task Force, YRP Financial Crimes, Canada Border Services Agency as well as uniform members from Brantford Police Service (BPS), DRPS, PRP, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and YRP.
Police seized the following items:
- A loaded handgun and ammunition
- Approximately $2,000 CAD
- Manual break-in and electronic auto theft tools
- Fraudulent photo identification
- Stolen vehicle parts
Throughout the investigation, police recovered a total of 23 vehicles with an approximate value of more than $5 million.
Eight individuals have been charged with a total of 103 Criminal Code offences. Four of the accused were remanded into custody, and two were released and will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on later dates. A warrant for arrest has been issued for two individuals currently outstanding.
The PATT Team is grateful for investigative support from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS), London Police Service (LPS) and Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) throughout this investigation.
