York officers make another arrest in ongoing police corruption probe | Globalnews.ca
A Toronto man has been charged with trafficking a firearm in connection to the sprawling police corruption investigation dubbed Project South.
Court records obtained by Global News show Dequon Lemonious, 27, was arrested by York Regional Police on March 19 and charged with a single count of firearms trafficking.
According to the documents, Lemonious is accused of offering to transfer a prohibited firearm sometime between April 16 and June 2, 2025, in Toronto and the surrounding region.
York Regional Police confirmed that the charge against Lemonious stems from information obtained through Project South.
“We cannot provide additional information, as it is part of an active and ongoing investigation,” Const. James Dickson said.
The records do not specify who the firearm was allegedly offered to, or how the accused fits into the broader investigation.
Project South, a sweeping York police probe into organized crime, has already led to charges against seven active Toronto police officers, one retired constable, a correctional sergeant and 20 civilians.
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In total, more than 170 charges have been laid, none of which have been tested in court.
Police have alleged the investigation uncovered corruption, including leaking sensitive information to organized crime and bribery.
At the centre of the probe is an alleged plot to murder a correctional officer in Ontario.
Investigators said suspects made multiple attempts over a 36-hour period to locate and kill the man at his York Region home, including incidents where masked individuals attended the property and allegedly rammed a police cruiser parked in the driveway.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said police would need to “earn back” public trust.
At an unrelated news conference in March, Premier Doug Ford said he wanted to see those who target correctional officers harshly punished.
“If you want to attack one of our correctional services officers or police, you’re going to pay a real penalty — a real, real penalty,” he said.
– With files from Aaron D’Andrea, Isaac Callan and Colin D’Mello
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