24 arrested, 172 charges laid in Hamilton street gang investigation

Two dozen people have been arrested and 172 charges have been laid as part of an investigation into a Hamilton-based street gang that police say fueled “fear, instability, and harm” in the community.

Hamilton Police say the investigation, named Project Churchill, began in response to a significant rise in crime in the city’s downtown core in 2019.

According to police, a gang self-identified as the Hot Mali Squad is connected to “drug trafficking, robberies, daytime shootings and homicides” that have taken place across Hamilton. Police say that the gang has also recently expanded its criminal activities into neighbouring jurisdictions in Brantford, Toronto, Waterloo and Halton Region.

Officers conducted 17 search warrants in Hamilton, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and London on November 13 alongside several other police services. They say 24 individuals were arrested, 172 charges laid, and 14 firearms seized, along with quantities of cocaine and fentanyl.

Hamilton has experienced a record increase in shootings that police say can be partly tied to the street gang.

“Targeting this violent street gang was crucial in addressing the surge in Hamilton shootings because this group acted at the epicentre of gun violence, fueling fear, instability, and harm in the community,” Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen said in a news release.

Police say that some members of Hot Mali Squad are also connected to members of Dirty South - a GTA-based faction of a Bahamian street gang. Dirty South is allegedly involved in the smuggling and distribution of guns from the United States, police say.

Police are still searching for one more individual in connection to the investigation.

For a full list of suspects and the charges they are facing follow this link.