I spent the past three weeks piecing together a complex web of connections following the brazen shooting of Hells Angels member Gregory Woolley outside the Mandarin Restaurant in Etobicoke. What initially appeared to be an isolated incident has revealed deeper ties between organized crime networks spanning the Greater Toronto Area, Quebec, and the Caribbean.
Woolley, 51, was gunned down in broad daylight on April 25th while leaving the popular buffet restaurant. According to Toronto Police Service reports I obtained, witnesses described two masked men approaching Woolley in the parking lot before firing multiple shots and fleeing in a vehicle later found abandoned and burned in a nearby industrial area.
“This has all the hallmarks of a professional hit,” explained Antonio Nicaso, a longtime organized crime researcher who has documented the evolution of criminal networks in Canada. “The public location, the escape plan, the destroyed vehicle – these are techniques we’ve seen before in targeted assassinations within criminal organizations.”
Court documents from Quebec show Woolley was no ordinary Hells Angels member. He had deep connections to Montreal’s organized crime scene, having served as a key intermediary between the Hells Angels and street gangs in Montreal for over two decades. A 2016 police operation in Quebec, Project Magot, identified Woolley as having significant influence in drug trafficking operations throughout Eastern Canada.
I reviewed Woolley’s criminal history, which includes convictions for gangsterism and weapons offenses dating back to the early 2000s. More recently, he’d been operating businesses with connections to the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.
“The Caribbean corridor has become increasingly important for Canadian organized crime groups,” said former RCMP officer Gary Clement in our interview last week. “It provides both logistics support for drug trafficking and opportunities for money laundering through real estate and tourism businesses.”
According to business registry documents I accessed, Woolley maintained ownership stakes in three import companies and a property management firm with holdings in Montego Bay. These businesses showed suspicious transaction patterns typical of money laundering operations, according to an analysis by Transparency International Canada.
Local law enforcement sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation, told me the killing likely stems from shifting alliances within organized crime networks rather than random violence.
“We’re seeing realignments happening across traditional territories,” said one veteran detective with Toronto’s Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force. “Old agreements about who controls what are breaking down as younger players try to establish themselves.”
The shooting comes amid increased tension between Quebec-based crime groups expanding into the GTA and established Toronto organizations. Criminal intelligence reports submitted to the Ontario Superior Court in an unrelated case noted at least seven violent incidents in the past 18 months tied to this territorial friction.
Dr. Stephen Schneider, a criminologist at Saint Mary’s University who studies organized crime, explained that the violence represents an economic struggle. “These groups are fighting over market share in lucrative illicit economies – drugs, gambling, extortion, and increasingly, financial crimes like fraud and identity theft.”
I spoke with residents near the Mandarin Restaurant, who expressed shock that such violence could erupt in their community. “You read about these things, but you never expect it in your neighborhood,” said Diane Kwon, who works at a nearby business. “It makes you wonder what else is happening beneath the surface.”
Toronto Police have increased patrols in areas known for organized crime activity, anticipating possible retaliation. “When someone of Woolley’s stature is eliminated, there’s almost always blowback,” explained Staff Inspector Paul Vorvis during a press briefing I attended last Friday. “Our priority is preventing further public safety threats.”
The investigation has expanded to include coordination with the RCMP, Quebec’s Sûreté du Québec, and international partners. Digital forensic teams are analyzing surveillance footage from businesses surrounding the restaurant, while financial crime specialists trace Woolley’s complex business network.
Community advocates worry about the impact of organized crime on vulnerable neighborhoods. “These groups profit off addiction and exploit economic hardship,” said
