Mississauga man charged following probe into loan-sharking activity at GTA casinos

An Ontario Provincial Police shoulder patch is seen in this undated file photo.

A 43-year-old man has been charged in connection with an investigation into loan-sharking activity at casinos in the Greater Toronto Area.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said the investigation, dubbed “Project EVENING,” began in the spring of 2024 and allegedly involved extortion, money laundering and the illegal lending of money at a “criminal rate of interest.”

The investigation resulted in the search of a Mississauga home and the arrest of Thi Thao Ho on Tuesday.

He has been charged with criminal interest rate, extortion, laundering proceeds of crime and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

The OPP did not release further details about their investigation.

They are asking anyone with information, including those who have been victimized by loan sharks, to contact them at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or ontariocrimestoppers.ca.