Police in Peel Region, Ontario, have attributed the recent spike in shootings to an increase in international drug trafficking, organized crime, and extortion.In the first six months of 2026, shootings in Peel Region, a region that contains communities such as Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, have doubled compared to the same timeframe last year.There have been 103 shooting incidents in the region since January, mainly occurring in Brampton and Mississauga, compared to last year, when there had only been 58 incidents in the first half of the year."The reason for that increase is absolutely connected to extortions, organized crime, and the international drug trade,” said Peel Region deputy police chief Nick Milinovich."We have a team exclusively assigned to remove firearms off of the streets, and it’s not uncommon for them over the course of a weekend to recover three or four illegal firearms that have entered Canada from the United States," he added..The mention of drug trafficking and extortion speaks to a larger issue of the growth of organized crime in the region.In May, Peel Police arrested 17 individuals with alleged ties to the international criminal organization For Brothers, which predominantly targets South Asian individuals and businesses in the region.Twelve of the 17 individuals arrested were listed as being from Brampton.The gang used threats of violence and intimidation to extort local South Asian businesses and individuals; as a result of this increase in gang activity, shootings have also increased.Peel Police say the group is still active, mainly in Peel Region as well as British Columbia.According to data from Peel Police, the number of home invasions has also increased this year, with there already being 36 incidents so far this year compared to 34 in total in 2025.The number of victims of homicide has also close to doubled, with 11 homicide victims being recorded so far this year compared to just seven during the same timeframe last year.It remains to be seen if the 17 arrests and promised crackdown on gang-related crime from Peel Police will have an impact on the number of these incidents.
