 Jahmal Richardson, leader of H.O.K. His alias is Bam or Bambino. | A Toronto street gang called 'Heart of a King' has been “eradicated” following a Canada-wide investigation leading to the arrests of 53 people and the laying of 285 charges, Toronto police announced Friday. Police say the operation, nicknamed Project Sizzle, began in January and resulted in predawn raids at multiple locations in the Greater Toronto Area on Thursday — totalling 43 search warrants. In addition to the arrests, four of whom were in Montreal, seized items including 11 vehicles, 17 firearms, an undisclosed amount of drugs, body armour, jewelry and $45,000 in cash. |  |
 | Investigators say the Heart of a King gang, also known as H.O.K., which began operating in 2010, originated from a well known gang from Nova Scotia called North Preston’s Finest. North Preston's Finest get their name from North Preston, Nova Scotia, where the gang was founded. Their main business is sexual slavery, forcing girls into the sex trade while keeping them confined. They are known to operate out of Hell's Angels 'clubs' and parlours, working as middlemen. They brand 'their' prostitutes with "NPF" tattoos. |  |
 | Sizzle was launched on Jan. 31, in the wake of a brazen downtown shooting that killed two people and injured three bystanders outside a Chinatown restaurant. Raids involved more than 600 officers. The mass arrest comes as Toronto is facing its worst bout of shooting violence in years. Statistics updated on Friday show shooting deaths are up 137.5 per cent over last year. |  |
