34 arrested in drug, firearm probe linked to gang known as ‘44,’ Durham police say

Durham Regional Police say 34 suspects have been arrested following an investigation into a gang believed to be involved in trafficking guns and drugs throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

During a news conference on Friday morning, Sgt. Brad Corner said 139 charges have been laid in Project Hydrogen, an investigation into criminal activity linked to a gang known as 44.

Corner said members of the group reside in Durham Region and other parts of the GTA.

“Their criminal activity stretched well beyond Durham Region, reaching as far as Northern Ontario and Winnipeg,” he said.

“Members of this gang had flaunted their illicit earnings on social media, glorifying a culture that celebrates financial success through criminal activities.”

The investigation was launched in April 2025 and, over a period of months, 61 search warrants were executed in parts of Ontario and Winnipeg. Police said 10 illegal firearms were seized, along with $2.7 million in drugs, and $200,000 in Canadian currency.

The charges include illegal possession of weapons and drug trafficking.

Of the 34 suspects who were arrested, 14 were on already on court-imposed conditions, four of them on parole, officials wrote in a news release.

A full list of charges and those accused can be found here.

Of the weapons that were recovered, Corner said four were traced back to Detroit, where the firearms were stolen. Investigators are still working to determine the origin of the other six guns.

The drugs seized included 18 kilograms of cocaine, two kilos of fentanyl, six kilos of methamphetamine, one kilogram of MDMA, and 3,000 hydromorphone pills.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.