Images via Wikimedia; Black Bear Bar & Grill Facebook
Two police officers in the Greater Toronto Area are facing 23 charges for alleged involvement in a drug ring at a bar. The cops are members of the Durham Regional Police force and allegedly were part of a cocaine and cannabis operation at Black Bear Bar and Grill in Ajax, along with three others.Both police officers were found to be associated with the owner of the bar in an investigation.That investigation started in summer 2016 and led to the two cops, Constable Husen Aswat and Constable Amandeep Thakur, being arrested on Tuesday.
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Aswat, 32, has been with the force for nine years; Thakur, 30, has eight years of service. Both were held for bail hearings and suspended from duty.Aswat is facing 19 charges, including seven counts of breach of trust and four counts of trafficking in a Schedule 1 substance (cocaine). Thakur is facing two counts of breach of trust and possession of property obtained by crime."Obviously it's very concerning and disappointing when we find ourselves investigating our own employees," Durham Regional Police Chief Paul Martin said in a press release. "We are sharing this information with the public, as we always do, in the interest of openness and transparency."Others being charged in connection with the investigation are Rajalingam Varatharajan, 44, of Pickering; Kevin Chung, 34, of Toronto; and Shaun Carter, 40, of Ajax.