Dismantled Toronto gang Heart of a King evolved from North Preston's Finest

Toronto police say a violent gang that was dismantled in a large-scale bust in Toronto and Montreal evolved from North Preston's Finest, a Nova Scotia gang that has been active for two decades.

Four men with Nova Scotia connections are among the more than 50 people arrested in Project Sizzle, the police investigation that targeted a gang called Heart of a King, or HOK.

Two of the Nova Scotians charged are accused of first-degree murder and a third was previously in the news when he was shot in the face in 2009.

Most active in downtown Toronto

"I can advise that the HOK criminal organization evolved from a well-known street gang in Nova Scotia known as North Preston's Finest," Insp. Bryan Bott with the Toronto Police Service told reporters on Friday.

"This criminal organization was most active in the downtown core of Toronto with most of their criminal activity centred around adult entertainment establishments and local bars."

Bott said the gang members have a "high propensity for violence" and police believe they were involved in several homicides in Toronto.

Halifax police involvement

In all, more than 250 charges were laid and thousands of dollars worth of drugs, weapons and jewelry were seized in Project Sizzle.

Halifax Regional Police had some involvement, too.

"We can confirm that officers in the integrated criminal investigation division seized a vehicle in Halifax on behalf of Toronto Police Service in relation to this investigation," Theresa Rath, a spokeswoman for Halifax Regional Police, said in an emailed statement.

North Preston's Finest

Police in Ontario have said North Preston's Finest is actively recruiting girls and women from the Maritimes, forcing them into a life of prostitution in cities across Canada.

The notorious gang, with roots in North Preston, was first identified by police in Toronto in the early 1990s.

• North Preston's Finest gang funnels girls to Ontario for prostitution: police

1st-degree murder charges

The men with Nova Scotia connections charged in Project Sizzle are:

• Denzell Desmond, 19, of Halifax.
• Devlin Glasgow, 29, no fixed address.
• Mitchel Mannette, 23, of Dartmouth.
• Shontez Skinner-Deschamp, 20, of Dartmouth.

Desmond and Mannette are both charged with first-degree murder, as well as charges of conspiracy to traffic weapons.

Skinner-Deschamp is facing eight weapons charges including possessing a firearm knowing the serial number had been tampered with and possession contrary to a prohibition order.

Of the four men, Glasgow faces the most charges 22 of themincluding weapons possession, conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to traffic weapons and marijuana.

Glasgow was the victim of a shooting at a Halifax barbershop in 2009, when a man shot him in the face at point-blank range.