Ottawa Police Operation Leads to Arrest of Relatives of Officers Suing the Department

In a recent press event on Thursday, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs and OPP Det.-Insp. Mike Moore announced a slew of criminal charges against 17 individuals following an 18-month-long investigation. This endeavor, known as “Project Champion,” focused on breaking down illicit drug networks swirling around Ottawa. Located in the spotlight are Bayle Khandid, 31, and Bile Khandid, 33, cousins of the police officers embroiled in a lawsuit against the force for alleged unlawful espionage on them and their kin.

According to official sources, the Khandid brothers, tethered to gang circles, orchestrated cocaine trade operations that formed a crucial part of this network. They now stand among those confronted with a total of 149 criminal charges stemming from the extensive probe. Notably, both police and legal insiders acknowledge that these individuals are indeed the ones named in the wiretapping legal dispute.

Chief Stubbs made it crystal clear that this operation, despite coinciding with the ongoing legal battle involving the same officers, was purely logistical, “It’s a stand-alone operation informed by credible intelligence and solid evidence,” he emphasized, adding, “There comes a point when you simply have to act.”

The lawsuit, initiated in 2023, accuses Ottawa Police of racial discrimination and unauthorized wiretapping of five Somali officers and their families, harking back to events in 2021. Despite these allegations, courts haven’t yet determined any illicit eavesdropping took place.

Stubbs steered clear of discussing any internal ramifications of these arrests or whether the Khandids being central figures influenced the investigation. “The intricacies and hurdles faced during this probe remain under wraps, pending potential disclosure during judicial proceedings,” he stated.

Diving deeper into police chronicles reveals intertwining operations where Project Champion might have overlapped with previous undertakings like “Project Game.” Court documents previously explored by CBC illustrate Project Game’s focus—solving dormant homicide mysteries, prominently two unresolved murders from 2018.

In April 2021, alongside a task force venture overseeing numerous unsolved homicides, police achieved judicial clearance to intercept communications from various suspects, one being Yasin Mohamed, now implicated with the Khandid syndicate. Yet, no charges connected to those past crimes bare Mohamed’s name. Intriguingly, his former fiancée, working as a judicial clerk during the initial wiretap saga, stumbled upon secret court documents revealing their dialogues were indeed intercepted.

Following this revelation, court filings depict how the intercepted communications dramatically tapered off, leaving the murders unsolved till today. Interestingly, neither Project led to homicide-related convictions, sharpening the curiosity surrounding the genuine intent and groundwork of these operations.

The lawsuit further alleges that “only through familial bonds,” specifically Somali kinship ties, could the Ottawa Police acquire wiretaps and warrants against the officers. It argues that these familial connections fueled by existing biases and stereotypes engendered the covert surveillance, a sentiment echoed strongly within the lawsuit documents.

Liban Farah, one of the officers suing, allegedly informed a superior about his familial ties to Bayle and Bile upon joining the Guns and Gangs unit back in 2018. His awareness of being surveyed emerged when coinciding project dialogues unfolded before him in 2020.

Court documents illuminate how Project Game’s wiretapping ran intermittently from April to June 2021, overlapping with notifications received by Farah about being on a tap list, although he wasn’t directly informed whether he was a primary or secondary target. As Project Game wound down in September, additional notification layers revealed similar wiretap endeavors stretching from late April into August, casting further speculation on the spectrum and scale of warrants approved to tap into communications of their officers and affiliates for undisclosed reasons.

Edited by: Ali Musa

alimusa@axadletimes.com

Axadle international–Monitoring

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