Employees tied up in string of 'co-ordinated' bank robberies across Ontario: police

Four suspects are in custody and one other man is wanted in connection with series of “co-ordinated” bank robberies across Ontario over a 16-month period, Ontario Provincial Police say.

At a news conference on Tuesday, police officers with several Ontario law enforcement agencies were on hand to discuss the results of the multi-jurisdictional investigation, dubbed Project Opal.

According to investigators, a group of suspects were responsible for eight bank robberies that occurred in western, central, and eastern Ontario between Dec. 8, 2022 and March 16, 2024.

The robberies, investigators said, occurred in areas policed by the OPP, the Barrie Police Service, the Belleville Police Service, Durham Regional Police, Niagara Regional Police, and York Regional Police.

Each police service began investigating bank robberies in their respective regions and “quickly determined” that the robberies were part of a “larger, more co-ordinated operation,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Marty Kearns told reporters on Tuesday morning.

Police said the robberies each involved two to three individuals entering the bank shortly before close. Disguises were used and gloves were worn to prevent fingerprints being left at the scene, investigators said.

‘Significant emotional distress’

In the last six robberies, police said, bank employees were tied up.

Kearns said the 20 victims that were inside the banks at the time of the robberies were not physically injured.

“The individuals caught up in these terrifying events have endured significant emotional distress and trauma,” he added.

On June 21, 2024, police said three suspects were taken into custody after officers intercepted a planned robbery at a bank in Field, Ont., north of Sturgeon Falls.

“Officers established that an attempted robbery would take place. They ensured that the occupants of the bank were safe before conducting the arrests,” OPP Det. Insp. Brian McDermott said.

He added that the OPP tactics and rescue unit, as well as the aviation unit, carried out the arrests with the support of Project Opal members.

A fourth suspect was arrested by police in Vaughan in September, police said, and the fifth suspect remains outstanding. He has been identified by police as Akeem Williams, of Ajax.  

Combined, the suspects are facing more than 50 charges, including robbery with a firearm and forcible confinement, police said.

Approximately $2 million was stolen during the robberies and the money has not been recovered, police said.