VVT was a
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
group originating in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
believed to be named after the town of
Valvettithurai
Valvettithurai ( ta, வல்வெட்டித்துறை, translit=Valveṭṭittuṟai; si, වල්වෙට්ටිතුරෙයි, translit=Valveṭṭitureyi), sometimes shortened as VVT or Valvai, is a coastal town of Jaffna ...
in northern
Sri Lanka.
VVT was founded in the early 1990s by Tamil immigrants, and had a strong presence in the west end of Toronto (in particular in Etobicoke and certain areas in Old Toronto and East York) and was regarded as being very business savvy. The VVT were considered to be highly organized with members ranging in age from their early teenage years to men in their 30s, and with membership between 100 and 1000. In the mid 1990s to early 2000s, the VVT had an ongoing war with another powerful Tamil gang called the AK Kannan based out of Scarborough. There was a brief truce in 1998 after community members brokered a peace deal in a
Richmond Hill Hindu temple; however, a murder a year later renewed the fighting. VVT is behind many murders in the 1990s.
VVT had multiple leaders who represent their respective territories throughout the GTA,
Waterloo,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit. Even after the deportation of some prominent members, authorities believe this gang is still in operation through its younger generation. Police alleged VVT members were involved in drug trafficking, fraud, weapons trafficking, counterfeiting, and extortion. The gang is now considered largely inactive.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gangs In Canada
Gangs in Toronto