A York Regional Police officer is being recognized by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police for leading a team of five officers in a crackdown on organized crime in the region.
Sgt. Goncalo Bernardo and his five-member team, "with unwavering dedication and perseverance," spent a year using covert and overt investigative techniques to shut down illegal gaming houses in Richmond Hill, Markham and Toronto.
“The work of Sgt. Bernardo and his team resulted in the arrest of nearly 100 people, the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and the seizure of five firearms,” said Jeff McGuire, executive director of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. “These efforts have strongly contributed to the safety of the citizens of York Region.”
The 2024 Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario’s Award for Outstanding Investigation recognized the "innovative and aggressive enforcement at illegal gaming houses to combat some of the violence that took place due to the heavy involvement of organized crime in this lucrative criminal market."
The team leveraged community complaints, intelligence, Section 199 search warrants, cutting-edge training, and a partnership with the OPP Gaming Protection Unit to shut down the illegal gaming operations that had been targeted in shootings, robberies, and serious assaults, York Regional Police said.
Throughout the year, Bernado and his team disrupted five illegal gaming operations by executing search warrants. About 10 keepers and 79 patrons of illegal gambling locations were charged, 121 criminal charges laid, and 29 video gambling machines and unlawful gaming tables were seized, two vehicles were impounded, five illicit firearms were confiscated, and cash and assets valued at $335,000 were seized.
The award is presented to a police force or individual who demonstrates excellence and innovation in their work in the alcohol, gaming, horse racing, or cannabis retail sectors.
“The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in 1951 and is the voice of Ontario's police leaders representing all police services in Ontario,” said McGuire. “Every year at our annual general meeting, we present awards to police members, both civilian and sworn, for exemplary accomplishments in a number of categories.”
The team, in a true spirit of collaboration, collected and shared valuable intelligence with policing partners from across the province, working closely with York Regional Police’s tactical intelligence unit and the Ontario Provincial Police’s gaming protection unit, he said. One intelligence coup included the identification of a subject at an illegal gaming house suspected of laundering more than $800,000 through Ontario casinos.
