A 61-year-old Brampton mother and her two sons are among five people charged in a Peel Regional Police investigation into gun and drug trafficking.

Investigators say Project Sledgehammer began with a traffic stop that resulted in the arrest of a 20-year-old man for firearms offenses.

He was released with an ankle bracelet.

Monday, Det. of the Peel Regional Police. Sgt. Chris Fiori said the investigation deepened when investigators identified several of the original suspect’s associates and found evidence they were involved in gun and drug trafficking.

In September 2024, officers executed search warrants at three residences in Brampton, one in Waterloo and one at a warehouse in Caledon.

During the searches, agents allegedly seized 11 firearms and more than 900 rounds of ammunition, as well as illegal drugs worth $20,000, including cocaine and opium.

Five people were arrested and now face more than 150 charges in total.

They are Narinder Nagra, 61, residents of Brampton, and his two sons, Navdeep Nagra, 20, and Ravneet Nagara, 22, as well as Ranveer Araich, 20, Pavneet Nahal, 21.

Illegal guns have ‘saturated’ community, police chief says

Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said the latest arrests indicate a growing gun problem in the region.

“We have seized more guns (this year) than in any previous year,” he said, noting that an illegal gun is seized in Peel every 30 hours.

Illegal weapons have “saturated the community,” he added menacingly.

Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said there has been an “alarming 80 percent increase in shootings” compared to last year.

He said most of the suspects are individuals “who already had some form of judicial release.”

Peel Regional Chair Nando Iannicca also expressed frustration with the “rotating justice system” which he says puts residents and officers at risk.

“Something has to give on this front,” he said. “We’re getting to the point where people think they might have to defend themselves. This shouldn’t be necessary…but you can understand why some people feel this way.

“We need to protect our officers and that means bringing people to justice and not this revolving door where you have to deal with them again next week. Simply unacceptable.