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Oakville men involved as police in T.O. eradicate street gang by Tamara Shephard Metroland Media 19 | Thursday, June 9, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders said his force has "eradicated" a street gang called Heart of a King originally from Nova Scotia with ties in Montreal. "We kicked in 43 doors," Saunders told a news conference Friday, June 3 morning at Toronto police headquarters," said Saunders. More than 600 police officers executed 43 search warrants in pre-dawn raids Thursday in Toronto, Peel, Halton, Durham and Montreal. Fifty-three people were arrested on 285 charges with more arrests anticipated as a result of what police call Project Sizzle, the chief said. "This is a very big and lengthy investigation. It has many tentacles to it," Saunders said. "When we work together, we get to have amazing conclusions like we have today." Police displayed 19 seized handguns and a rifle, cocaine, marijuana, ketamine and $45,000 in cash in bags at the news conference. The project also seized $300,000 in property. "It speaks to what tools this gang uses in their day-to-day business," Saunders said of the displayed evidence. "These types of lifestyles are always short-lived.... No one has run the gauntlet and been successful in the end. It always leads to this." Evidence on display also included a heavily jewelled wristwatch and a silver ring reading Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders speaks from the podium on Friday at police headquarters during a media conference regarding Operation Sizzle. | Staff Metroland Media "Pay Up" in what appeared to be diamonds. A photo of a man seated on the hood of a white Bentley, and a painting of a man with a skull wearing a crown surrounded by woman and money with the Toronto skyline in the background, were also displayed. Project Sizzle received support from the Ontario Provincial Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as police services in Peel, Halton, Durham and York regions, as well Montreal and Halifax. The Heart of a King group, also known as "HOK", originated in Halifax, N.S., said Insp. Bryan Bott of Toronto police's Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force. "This gang, through intelligence information, we know has a high propensity for violence," Bott said, alleging the gang uses firearms, drug trafficking, fraud and prostitution to bankroll their lifestyle. Prior to the June 2 raids, 39 search warrants and 21 arrests were made with 16 firearms seized. Heart of a King was active in downtown Toronto, primarily in adult clubs and bars, Bott said. Saunders said members of the HOK gang were charged in the shooting death of Charles Shillingford, 25, on Oct. 31, 2015. Saunders said Jahmal Richardson, 31, of Oakville, was charged in Shillingford's shooting. Two Nova Scotia men were also charged in Shillingford's murder: Mitchel Mannette, 23, and Denzell Desmond, 19 -- and Kyle SparksMacKinnon, 26, of Oakville. Sparks-MacKinnon was also charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder in the Jan. 31 fatal shootings of David Eminess, 26, and Quinn Taylor, 29, at 410 Spadina Ave. this year. Three bystanders were also struck by bullets in the Spadina shooting, Saunders noted.