Ana Paula Kitterhing De Sousa never missed a text message from her daughter.
But when Raquel Almeida Margulies texted a habitual “sweet dreams, mama,” at 10:28 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2023, the text was left curiously unanswered.
Crime
Chilling new details on alleged gun-for-hire ‘hit squad’ police say were behind botched Project South assassination
A few days before York Region police officers thwarted an alleged assassination of a Toronto jail official, someone using the alias “Danny Phantom” allegedly texted two pictures to a contact called “LeBron James.”
The first was a screenshot of a Ministry of Transportation database search showing the jail official’s home address. The second was a photo of the official’s red pickup truck.
“If the car there need the hit squad,” Phantom wrote after sending the pictures.
Chinese Nationals Ran a Fraud Machine Out of Florida Mailboxes, Draining the Savings of Elderly Americans in Seventeen States: DOJ
ORLANDO – From a web of rented mailboxes in strip malls across Orlando, prosecutors allege, a cell of Chinese nationals operated one leg of a sprawling transnational fraud that stripped elderly Americans of more than two million dollars — persuading some they were investing in cryptocurrency or gold, and convincing many more that federal agents, big tech companies, or their own banks had detected a catastrophic breach in their accounts and that only immediate, secret fund transfers could save them.
Over 4,000 charges laid in retail theft probe involving ‘repeat and prolific offenders’: Toronto police
The thefts are shockingly brazen. Videos shared by Toronto police on Wednesday show multiple suspects walking into stores, loading up bags, suitcases and shopping carts with items and walking out, seemingly without fear of consequence.
Despite the cavalier nature of the alleged crimes, there were indeed consequences.
Toronto police announced over 500 arrests and 4,000 charges in a years-long, ongoing retail theft probe that Supt. Ron Taverner said involves “repeat and prolific offenders” with ties to larger organized crime groups.
Mom of the year …
MOUNT VERNON, New York (WABC) — Mount Vernon’s deputy commissioner of public safety was arrested for allegedly being the getaway driver for her son, who is accused of shooting at a rival gang member earlier this summer.
Jennifer Lackard, 49, and her son, 20-year-old Chase Lackard, were arrested at their home on Boynton Avenue on Tuesday morning.
Her son, who is an alleged gang member, is accused of opening fire from a vehicle on June 29 behind the Bronx Criminal Courthouse at East 162nd Street and Grand Avenue.
Related …
Why teen takeovers? For years, we’ve been told that the reason that blacks are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and in school discipline cases is racism. The Obama and Biden Justice Departments sued school districts for civil rights violations if they disciplined… pic.twitter.com/ycj9MJlKTU
— Heather Mac Donald (@HMDatMI) August 4, 2026
h/t Mauser
HUNTER: Gangsters bring ‘all the ammunition’ they need to conquer Northern Ontario
In 1900, William Randolph Hearst decided he would expand his newspaper empire with the Chicago American.
His top lieutenants, Solomon Carvalho, warned Hearst that the Windy City was a tough town and they’d almost certainly “have to shoot their way in.”
Hearst responded: “Take all the ammunition you’ll need.”
He was an aspiring rapper just getting his life together …
Two men cross paths inside a Toronto restaurant. Both are armed. Both are with friends.
Within minutes, the encounter escalates. Bullets fly inside the eatery on St. Clair Avenue West. A 23-year-old named Nakhari Henry-Robinson is killed.
Months later, Regent Park rapper Ridge “Biiig Rax” Kazumba is found guilty of second-degree murder in the August 2023 shooting. The now 29-year-old had just left a session at a nearby recording studio when he encountered Henry-Robinson at the restaurant.
Boy, 15, wanted for double murder in deadly Stoney Creek shootout
A 15-year-old boy is now wanted for the murders of two teenagers killed in a shootout last week in Stoney Creek – possibly while they were retaliating to a bear spray incident from hours earlier.
Thief accused of repeated hits on community garden in Bowmanville
Fruit and vegetables are no longer safe after a man was captured on video stealing from community garden plots in Bowmanville.
Man jumps fence 5 times in 5 weeks to steal garlic & onions from Bowmanville community garden pic.twitter.com/A0Hrz3eZY5
— Geoff Knight (@GeckoJCKnight) July 29, 2026
Copper wire theft up by 78% over last year, Bell says
Bell says it has seen a surge in copper wire thefts across its telecommunications infrastructure in 2026, which can disrupt phone and internet services.
The telecommunications company says it has recorded 993 incidents of copper theft and vandalism between January and June — a 78 per cent increase compared to the same time frame last year.
How Mexican drug cartels have outsourced meth labs to Nigeria
The Nigerian judge was formally dressed, the lawyers maintained legal decorum and protocol was followed – but this hearing was not in the comfortable confines of a Lagos courtroom, it was inside an alleged illicit drug laboratory in the thick of a dense forest.
Three Mexicans and seven Nigerians were paraded in handcuffs, as Justice Musa Kakaki inspected the chemicals and equipment they were accused of using to produce the harmful illegal synthetic drug, methamphetamine, commonly known as meth, crystal meth or, locally, ice.
MANDEL: Grieving Ontario family wants answers — including name of Brampton driver in crash that killed 5 kids
They still don’t even know the name of the Brampton driver who allegedly ran a stop sign and slammed into their van, killing their five children.
It’s been more than six weeks since the deadly crash at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Rd. 12 in Mapleton Township, which claimed the lives of five Doerksen siblings — Susy, 4, Maggie, 6, Sara, 8, Helena, 10 and Peter, 12. Their parents, their 15-month-old brother and friends Peter and Elizabeth Bartsch sustained serious injuries.
Woman who was victimized over 15 years leads Halton police to largest human trafficking bust in their history
A woman who was victimized by an alleged criminal network in the Greater Toronto Area for 15 years has led Halton Regional Police to the largest human trafficking bust in the force’s history.
At a news conference on Tuesday, investigators revealed the results of Project Troubadour, a 10-month sexual exploitation investigation that was initiated after the victim reported the criminal activity to police in September.
Toronto Police Used Drones 2,365 Times in 2025 for Investigations: Police Report
Toronto police conducted 2,365 drone flights in 2025 to assist with criminal investigations, searches for missing persons, and other operations, according to an annual report recently presented to the Toronto Police Service Board.
Police used air support capabilities—which include drones and helicopters—to improve response times, situational awareness, and public safety outcomes, the report says.
Saving Memphis
In late 2025, Harvard Kennedy School professor Sandra Susan Smith expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s decision to target a dozen American cities—including Oakland, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, and Washington, D.C.—for temporary federal law-enforcement and National Guard deployments aimed at reducing crime and restoring order. Smith wondered “about what the consequences for deploying federalized forces are, especially for black and brown people in the cities that have been targeted for intervention.” She continued: “What seems clear to me is that the costs that are associated with this federal intervention will far outweigh the meager and very short-term benefits.”
One of the targeted cities was Memphis.