Toronto police say criminal networks are turning to young people to carry out violent attacks for money. According to investigators, multiple people are recruiting multiple youth within each cell, and while the force is aware of the practice, officers acknowledge they do not yet know the full scope of it.
At the centre of the recruitment, police say, is technology that is hard to monitor. They allege the networks use encrypted communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal to recruit and hire young people, often teenagers, who are willing to commit violence in exchange for cash.
Police also described how the alleged scheme is enforced. According to Chief Myron Demkew, the people carrying out the attacks are instructed to record them, because proof of the act is required before any payment is handed over to those who pulled the trigger.
A key question for investigators is who sits at the top of these arrangements. Asked who is paying for the violence, the chief said that is exactly what police are trying to determine, including by working alongside their colleagues at the RCMP and the FBI as the investigation reaches beyond the city.
Officers believe the same method connects a number of high-profile incidents. Investigators say the tow truck shootings, the attacks on the waste company GFL and the shootings at a Greater Toronto Area synagogue all share the same modus operandi as the criminals-for-hire model, though they still do not know how many cells are involved or who is financing and directing the violence.
Those who work with young people say the trend reflects how easily they can now be reached. Destin Bujang, who has spent years working with teens in Toronto, said social media and encrypted apps have made access to young people faster and less visible to parents and schools, and argued the answer is not just enforcement but trusted adults, safe spaces, mentorship and employment opportunities.
Technology experts add that the tools involved are both ordinary and difficult to trace. Carmi Levy noted the apps are extremely popular, pointing to more than three billion WhatsApp users worldwide, and said their built-in encryption makes the communication essentially untraceable, while the people behind the attacks are allegedly paid out through middlemen.