Toronto police have arrested seven people and seized more than a dozen firearms in three separate gun and gang investigations, they announced Wednesday.

The items taken in the busts, including several bags of illegal drugs, were displayed at a morning news conference at police headquarters.

“This is the lifeblood of street gang culture. They are in it for the money,” said Chief Mark Saunders, who said getting the drugs off the street helps remove incentives for gangs.

Police laid nearly 150 criminal charges in the three investigations this fall.

Four people were arrested as part of Project Sparta in late September, charged with a long list of offences, including possession of fentanyl and cocaine. Officers seized a 12-gauge shotgun and several bags of drugs, including 7.5 kilograms of cocaine and 968 grams of fentanyl, police said.

Nikolai Knights, 32, Jonathan Donde, 37, Lisa Korman-Shaw, 38, and Narottama De Sousa, 30, all of Toronto, were charged with drug offences in the case.

In late October, two men were arrested as part of an investigation into a distribution network for illegal drugs and guns named Project Topside. A dozen guns were seized, including an AR semi-automatic rifle, as well more than a kilogram of fentanyl, large quantities of heroin and cocaine, and cash.

Imran Maragh, 31, and Kadean Maragh, 28, both of Stouffville, are each facing dozens of gun- and drug-trafficking charges.

A third man, 27-year-old Nicholas Reid of Markham, is still wanted. Anyone with information on him is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

In the final investigation, police seized six kilograms of powder cocaine with a potential value of about $600,000.

Ramin Karimi, 36, of Toronto, was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

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Saunders cautioned that there needs to be a “collective response” to gangs, drugs and gun violence and that police won’t be able to arrest their way out of it.

He added the deadly street drug fentanyl has played a “strong role” in the recent “different” “level of brazenness” of gangs.

“All of the dots connect really strongly,” Saunders said. “It’s not about territory, it’s about creating an enterprise that’s making money.”

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