Accused Trafficker Denied Bail Again in Police Corruption Case

An accused drug trafficker who allegedly received confidential information from a Toronto police officer, purportedly for a failed plot to harm a senior corrections official, had his bail request rejected once more on Monday. Brian Da Costa’s lawyers sought a review of the decision to revoke his bail in May at the Superior Court, but Justice Shaun Nakatsuru turned down the plea. The rationale behind the judge’s ruling and specifics of the bail review hearing fall under a standard publication ban safeguarding Da Costa’s right to a fair trial. Da Costa, aged 44, will remain in detention facing nine charges, including offering bribes to a peace officer, trafficking drugs and police attire, and conspiring to obstruct justice. These accusations linked to the Project South investigation have not yet undergone legal scrutiny. Project South commenced in June 2025 after the York Regional Police foiled an alleged assassination scheme targeting a high-ranking corrections official from the Toronto South Detention Centre (TSDC). The identity of this official is protected by a publication ban for their security. The probe revealed that Toronto police Constable Timothy Barnhardt purportedly conducted an unsanctioned search on the official’s license plate shortly before the attempted attack. He is alleged to have then shared confidential details about the official with civilian Da Costa. Investigative reports suggest that Barnhardt frequently sold confidential database information to Da Costa, a known criminal associate, often at Da Costa’s behest, as disclosed in an information to obtain (ITO) application submitted in the case.