150 charges, 11 guns seized after traffic stop leads police to arrest of five Brampton residents

A traffic stop sparked a Peel police investigation that led to the recovery of 11 illegal guns, tens of thousands of dollars in drugs and 150 charges against four men and a woman from Brampton, investigators say.

Peel Regional Police said at a press conference Monday afternoon in Mississauga their investigation, dubbed Project Sledgehammer, began with a July traffic stop and grew from there.

A 20-year-old man was arrested, charged and conditionally released as a result of the traffic stop, police said.

Investigators then looked into the man’s associates and eventually discovered a group that was allegedly dealing in illegal guns and drug trafficking in Peel and across the Greater Toronto Area, Det. Sgt. Chris Fiore, head of Peel’s gun and gangs unit, told reporters.

Also seized by police during search warrants executed at three homes in Brampton, one in Waterloo and a storage facility in Caledon were more than 900 rounds of ammunition, $20,000 in cocaine, various other drugs and 53 Glock selector switches, which Fiore said turn semi-automatic handgun into fully automatic weapons.

Among the 11 seized firearms was one submachine gun, several assault rifles and a number of handguns, police said. Four of the weapons were traced back to the U.S., five were obtained in Canada (including two that had been stolen earlier) and two others were untraceable.

Peel police brass have said on a number of occasions that illegal guns and gun violence are on the dramatic rise in Mississauga, Brampton and across the Greater Toronto Area.

Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said Monday that Peel police have recovered more guns so far this year than they did in all of 2023.

Additionally, he noted, Peel has seen 119 shootings in the first nine months of 2024, an 80 per cent increase over last year.

And of those charged with violent crimes, “nearly 50 per cent” are people who’ve been previously arrested and are out on bail or some other form of conditional release when arrested again, he said.

Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the vast majority, if not all illegal guns seized by police in Ontario originate in the U.S. and were smuggled into the province by criminal networks.

And once the firearms arrive in Mississauga and Brampton, the police chief continued, “…it leads to devastating consequences, not just for the victims, but it has a ripple effect on people’s reality and perception of safety here in Peel.”

Duraiappah added the “widespread availability of illegal firearms represents an immediate and serious threat to the safety of our community. Violent offenders are exploiting this access, fueling a dangerous cycle of crime that puts every resident at risk.”

Facing numerous charges are Navdeep Nagra, 20, Ravneet Nagra, 22, Narinder Nagra, 61, Ranveer Araich, 20, and Pavneet Nahal, 21, all of Brampton.

Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah, shown here speaking at Monday’s press conference, says the illegal gun problem poses a serious threat to people in Mississauga and Brampton.

(All photos: Peel Regional Police)