Two Toronto Regiment Members Arrested in Organized Crime Probe
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Bombardiers Sachintha Fernando and James Moreau face charges of kidnapping and firearms theft.
Two members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) stationed in Toronto have been arrested on charges involving organized crime, kidnapping, and the theft of weapons and firearms, according to reporting from CBC Toronto and Global News.
Toronto police arrested Bombardiers Sachintha Fernando and James Moreau on Aug. 11. Both individuals are members of the 7th Toronto Regiment. According to the Department of National Defence (DND), the two men have been removed from their military duties, and their access to CAF bases, facilities, and equipment has been restricted.
DND records show that James Moreau joined as a reservist in March 2018 and served during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Operation LASER in 2020. Sachintha Fernando enrolled as a reservist in January 2020 and has not been deployed on any CAF operations.
Despite the arrests, the DND stated that Fernando and Moreau remain members of the armed forces while they undergo an administrative review. This formal process is used to determine if a member's service should continue while ensuring procedural fairness. A spokesperson for the DND noted that the army is currently assisting Toronto police with the ongoing investigation.