Additional charges have been laid in a multi-jurisdictional bank robbery investigation named Project Opal.
Between Thursday, December 8, 2022, and Saturday, March 16, 2024, a series of eight armed bank robberies took place in jurisdictions including that of the Belleville Police Service.
A release from Barrie police says that in each robbery, two or three individuals entered the bank shortly before closing.
The suspects wore different disguises in each occurrence and brandished at least one handgun.
In the last six robberies, bank employees were bound.
Investigators have determined that the group of suspects is responsible for more than $2 million in reported losses across eight banks. The stolen funds have not yet been recovered.
Three people were arrested in 2024 during an attempted robbery in Field, Ontario.
On Friday, OPP charged a fourth suspect, 33-year-old Roderick Newman of Cobourg, with two counts of robbery with restricted or prohibited weapon.
These charges are in relation to robberies in Barrie and Newmarket.
A fifth suspect, Akeem Williams, 33 years old of Ajax, remains wanted.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to not approach him and instead contact police immediately.
