The man who showed two journalists an alleged video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine was arrested during a series of police raids in June.

The Toronto Star reported in its Friday edition that the alleged gang member was arrested during Project Traveller, which targeted drug dealers in the city's Dixon Road area of northern Etobicoke and led to charges against more than 40 people.

After a year-long investigation, police conducted dozens of raids that they say targeted a criminal organization — a street gang known as the Dixon City Bloods or Dixon Goonies — that had allegedly trafficked drugs and brought guns into Canada.

The man who showed the alleged video to reporters Robyn Doolittle and Kevin Donovan faces various drug and gun charges, including participating in a criminal organization, conspiracy and trafficking of guns and cocaine, the Star reported.

There's no word whether police are in possession of the video.

Ford has denied using crack cocaine and says the video does not exist.

Both the Star and the U.S. gossip website Gawker published stories in May claiming their journalists had viewed the alleged video, which they say shows the mayor in a well-lit room apparently smoking crack cocaine from a glass pipe.

Worldwide attention

The allegations were picked up by news organizations worldwide, mocked by U.S. comedians and led to weeks of fallout as some councillors called for Ford's resignation if the allegations were true, and several high-profile members of Ford's staff quit.

The Star and Gawker said the man had wanted to sell them the video.

Gawker raised $200,000 to buy the video from its owners through an online crowdfunding campaign dubbed the Rob Ford Crackstarter. However, after the fundraising was completed, the man who was the website's contact for securing the video said the owner told him the video was gone.

Gawker said it would instead give the money to four Ontario charities.