Loaded gun, ready-to-sell drugs found after police search ‘suspicious vehicle’ in Mississauga

Reports of a “suspicious vehicle” in a residential neighbourhood in the city’s west end on Wednesday night led police to the seizure of a loaded gun and ready-to-sell drugs in addition to the arrests of three Mississauga men and a youth.

Peel Regional Police said officers responded to the call at about 9 p.m. in the area of Forestwood Drive and Erindale Station Road, just north of Dundas Street West.

After finding and stopping the vehicle, officers conducted a Cannabis Act investigation, police said, which led to the discovery of a loaded illegal firearm, an imitation firearm and “a quantity of drugs packaged for sale.”

Three men and a 17-year-old boy were subsequently arrested, police said.

Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews noted two of those charged have had prior run-ins with police.

“Time and again, our officers encounter the same individuals who continue to pose significant risks to our community,” he said in a news release on Friday. “In this case, one of the individuals was already prohibited from possessing firearms due to past criminal behaviour and another is currently on release conditions from prior criminal activity — a blatant disregard for their conditions.”

Tyrese Douglas-Hodgson, 25, Peter Jesiotr, 23, Ethan Bell, 18, and a 17-year-old youth who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, all of Mississauga, face a rash of firearms and drug charges, including:

• possession of loaded prohibited firearm
• possession of a prohibited device
• occupant of a vehicle with firearm
• possession for the purpose of trafficking (multiple counts each)

All four have been held in custody pending a bail hearing in Brampton court.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact investigators with the 11 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 1133, or Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.