Jewellery store hold-up in Brampton leads police to 370 pounds of pot, Mississauga and Milton men charged

Police have seized hundreds of pounds of black-market cannabis and charged five men, including one from Mississauga and another from Milton, following a jewellery store hold-up last month.

Around 11:00 a.m. on April 6, Peel Regional Police say multiple suspects armed with guns and other weapons tried to break into a jewellery store in the area of McLaughlin Rd. and Wanless Dr. in Brampton.

But police say the suspects weren’t entirely successful in their break-in. One victim sustained minor injuries and police say the suspects then fled the scene in a white Dodge Durango.

Police identified one of the suspects which then led investigators to search several addresses linked to the suspect throughout the GTA, police said.

Officers seized four firearms, ammunition and a bulletproof vest during the raids as well as over 370 lbs of cannabis, more than $65,000 in Canadian currency, a Taser, jewellery and other “offence-related property,” police said.

A total of 53 charges were laid against five men, including a 30-year-old from Mississauga and a 31-year-old from Milton.

Darnyl Campbell, 30, of Mississauga has been charged with:

• Robbery with a Firearm
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (two counts)
• Careless Storage of a Firearm (two counts)
• Fail to Comply with Release Order

At the time of his arrest, police say Campbell was bound by a judicial release order stemming from previous charges of Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence, Break and Enter and Possession of Stolen Property.

Jamiel Smith, 31, of Milton has been charged with:

• Robbery with a Firearm
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (two counts)
• Careless Storage of a Firearm (two counts)
• Fail to Comply with Release Order

At the time of his arrest, police say Smith was bound by a judicial release order stemming from previous firearms and weapons related offences.

Kurt Downer, a 41-year-old man of no fixed address has been charged with:

• Robbery with a Firearm
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized (two counts)
• Careless Storage of a Firearm X 2
• Possession of a Prohibited/Restricted Firearm with Ammunition (two counts)
• Possession of a Prohibited Device (two counts)
• Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order (two counts)

At the time of his arrest, police say Downer was bound by five weapons prohibition orders stemming from previous convictions for firearms and drug-related offences.

Kudzai Nyembe Mafohla, 26, of no fixed address has been charged with:

• Robbery with a Firearm
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (two counts)
• Careless Storage of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order

At the time of his arrest, police say Mafohla was bound by a weapons prohibition order stemming from a previous criminal code conviction.

Keenan Watson, 31, of no fixed address has been charged with:

• Robbery with a Firearm
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
• Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Loaded Prohibited/Restricted Firearm (two counts)
• Careless Storage of a Firearm (two counts)
• Possession of a Firearm Contrary to Prohibition Order (two counts)

At the time of his arrest, Keenan Watson was bound by three weapons prohibition orders stemming from previous convictions for firearms and drug-related offences.

Insp. Sean Brennan with the PRP Financial Crime Services division said the weapons seized during the investigation “posed a serious threat to communities throughout the GTA.”

Brennan noted that all of the accused were either on either judicial release or weapons prohibition orders for violent offences.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Peel Regional Police at (905)453-2121 ext. 3410. Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.