Toronto Police said the gangs targeted in a series of pre-dawn raids Wednesday could be linked to several unsolved shootings and murders in Toronto.

The raids were executed as a part of Projects RX and Battery, two separate, year-long investigations into what police believe are rival GTA gangs, the Sic Thugs and Asian Assassinz.

“These are two criminal organizations whose main business is drugs and guns – that’s it, it’s that simple,” Insp. Gord Sneddon of the Toronto Police Guns and Gangs Task Force said at a news conference Thursday.

Police say more than 50 people were arrested in the raids.

He added the arrests help make “significant progress” into the investigation of several murders, including a shooting outside the Vy Vy Nightclub in January 2013, and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre shooting of March 2013.

"The Asian Assassinz are believed to be involved and associated to the shootings," Sneddon said, adding, "there are other shootings that are under investigation."

Police also showcased the broad range of weapons and drugs seized as part of the investigation. Seizures included:

  • More than 30 firearms
  • 11,000 rounds of ammunition
  • 8 sets of body armour
  • $350,000 in Canadian currency, $2,900 in American currency and €380 Euros
  • 1.3 kilograms of crack cocaine
  • 7.2 kilograms of powdered cocaine
  • "Just over" 1 kilogram of heroin;
  • 26 kilograms of marijuana

"Four of the guns seized were from domestic sources," Sneddon said, which means they were not trafficked in from the United States, but were purchased legitimately in Canada.

"Pretty much all the firearms seized were semi-automatic handguns,” said Toronto Police gun expert Bruce Finn.

“In the hands of an untrained individual, it can create a lot of casual damage, or collateral damage to the public," Finn said.

Sneddon emphasized the wide reach of both gangs, and said "it’s not just isolated in Toronto." Police said their links could extend as far as Alberta.

Supt. Doug Quan emphasized "this is an ongoing and active investigation."

With a report from CTV Toronto’s Tamara Cherry