Harry Ahmed, 41, is running in Ward 5; investigation involved Biker Enforcement Unit

A Barrie man who is running for city council has been charged with extortion following a police investigation that involved the province’s Biker Enforcement Unit.

Harry Ahmed, 41, of Barrie, was arrested Friday morning shortly after 9 a.m. He was being held in custody pending a bail hearing, which was scheduled to take place today at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie.

Ahmed is a candidate for city council in Ward 5.

Ahmed, who runs an automotive repair shop in the city, also campaigned for the position of Barrie mayor in 2010, garnering 305 votes, and also sought the Ward 5 council seat in 2014 when he received 231 votes.

Due to the nature of the investigation, Barrie police say they will only be releasing further details as the investigation allows.

The Biker Enforcement Unit is a joint forces operation created in June 1998. The unit is comprised of 18 municipal agencies, the RCMP and CISO, partnered with its lead agency, the Ontario Provincial Police.

This multi-agency partnership is a demonstration of Ontario law enforcement's shared interest in combating organized crime in their respective communities.

The unit is comprised of over 100 officers from federal, provincial and municipal police agencies, as well as the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario.