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Five people face 52 charges between them after a months-long, cross-country investigation into drug- and gang-related retaliatory kidnappings targeting two innocent women, Calgary police said.
The victims were detained and assaulted in separate, sophisticated planned actions in May 2023 due to their connection with individuals linked to organized crime, police said in a statement issued Monday.
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The first incident occurred on May 2, 2023, when a woman in her 20s was forced into a vehicle by an unknown man after leaving her workplace in northeast Calgary shortly after 6 p.m.
While investigating this incident, police learned of a second kidnapping targeting a woman in her 50s, who was kidnapped at gunpoint from a home in southeast Calgary, CPS said, in what was believed to be an act of retaliation.
The victims were taken to separate homes rented through AirBnB, where they were held captive until May 4.
“The women were assaulted multiple times before being released by suspects. Once located, one woman was taken to hospital,” Calgary police said. “During these incidents, which lasted more than 30 hours, dozens of police resources from across the service were engaged to track the suspects and locate the victims.”
The police investigation sparked by the abductions took nine months and extended beyond Calgary to Edmonton and Windsor, Ont. Police got more than 100 court orders to search five properties and many electronic devices located in those three cities.
Law enforcement from Vancouver and Lethbridge were also involved, Calgary police said.
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Raejean Charles Sydney Hudson, 23, and Enyi-Egbe Idedevbo, 28, both of Windsor, Ont., who were arrested in November 2023, face one charge of kidnapping each. They are scheduled appear in court on April 2, 2024.
Code Ouellette, 38, and Aireajah Taylor-Francis, 21, both of Edmonton, who were arrested on Jan. 29, each face seven charges each including kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault, and using an imitation firearm to commit an indictable offence. Ouellette is set to appear in court on April 12, while Taylor-Francois is expected on court on April 2.
Ramien Joshua Naimi, 34, of Calgary, who was arrested on Feb. 15, faces 36 charges including several weapons-related offences, uttering threats, identity theft, and 29 counts of failure to comply with a release order. He is due in court on March 27. Police recovered a loaded shotgun as a result of a search linked to Naimi’s arrest.
“Much like legitimate business networks, organized-crime networks are not isolated to Calgary, and this investigation required us to liaise with our partners across the country,” Staff Sgt. Roland Stewart of the organized crime response unit said in the statement released by Calgary police. “In this case, we determined several offenders were from outside of Calgary, and likely hired through their criminal connections.”
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Stewart also highlighted a change in gang activity in Calgary over the past decade, with criminal actors motivated by money quickly shifting allegiances.
“While these individuals don’t always identify themselves as ‘groups’, their relationships both within and outside of their network are very volatile, and fractures result in the violence that we see,” he said. “This adds complexity when we are working to prevent and suppress organized-crime-related violence.”
Anyone with additional information about these crimes is asked to contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Calgary Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-2477, through their website or on the P3Tips mobile app.
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