Durham police say nearly 500 arrests have been made along with more than 800 criminal charges targeting a network of individuals, including repeat offenders involved in “criminal activity” throughout downtown Oshawa. The months long operation, dubbed Project Atlantis 2, ran from April through September 2026 and focused on theft, stolen property, illicit drugs and “other actions contributing to community disorder” in the downtown core. Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Durham police Insp. Jeff Hoover said officers made 490 arrests involving 224 individuals, laid 808 criminal charges and issued 406 provincial offence notices. “Those numbers are significant, but they also provide important insight into the type of activity our officers were encountering,” Hoover said. A Durham police spokesperson later clarified to CP24 that the gap between the number of arrests and the number of individuals was due to repeat offenders being arrested “on multiple occasions.” According to police, theft and drug-related offences accounted for a significant portion of the arrests. Other charges included possession of property obtained by crime, failure to comply with court conditions, assault, weapons offences, robbery and fraud. “One of the things that came out of it was there was a substantial amount of arrests. But specifically, we found 163 charges for fail to comply with conditions,” Hoover said. “We are seeing some individuals that are before the courts that are allegedly failing to comply with these conditions. So it is something that is a concern.” The operation also resulted in several drug seizures, including approximately 45 grams of fentanyl, 674 grams of cocaine and 12 grams of crack cocaine. Police say more than $10,000 in proceeds of crime was also seized. Hoover said the initiative specifically targeted the sale and distribution of illicit drugs, citing their broader impact on community safety. Beyond enforcement, officers conducted more than 2,200 hours of combined foot and bicycle patrols, along with 96 hours of utility terrain vehicle patrols. Those patrols focused on increasing police visibility throughout downtown Oshawa, including the waterfront, trails and parks. The project was led by members of Durham Regional Police’s Central East Division Community Response Unit.
