Pubdate: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON) Copyright: 2000, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: 333 King St. E., Toronto, Ontario M5A 3X5 Canada Fax: (416) 947-3228 Website: http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoSun/ Forum: http://www.canoe.ca/Chat/newsgroups.html Authors: Jonathan Jenkins and Jason Botchford COP BUSTED IN STING T.O. Officer Bloodied For Court Date A Toronto cop accused of being in an armed robbery ring appeared in court yesterday with his head caked in dry blood. Det.-Const. Darin Cooper, 30, was arrested Thursday by cops from Toronto and York Region, along with six other alleged members of the robbery gang. After his court appearance Cooper was immediately taken away for medical attention. "The injuries speak for themselves," his lawyer Michael Clarke said. "The guy comes into court and he's a bloody mess - I don't know what happened." In six search warrants, cops seized 25 handguns - one of them police issue - - body armour, police ID badges, 11 kilos of marijuana, $130,000 in cash and six expensive vehicles. At least one set of body armour and one of the badges were also police issue. Although the police released few details of the alleged incidents, sources said the gang pinpointed planned drug deals - using police information - in Toronto and York Region. Members of the gang allegedly showed up - at least once in a hotel room - dressed as cops and then robbed both sides, according to sources. Cooper faces breach of trust charges for allegedly committing a robbery while representing himself as a cop, court documents show. The 10-year veteran is suspended with pay from 55 Division's Criminal Investigation Bureau. The allegations are so serious the union may not represent Cooper after examining all the evidence, a union source said. "You can look at it as a very negative thing, which it is," Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino said. "But it also highlights how ... determined we are that the integrity of law enforcement and that very sacred public trust is not violated." Two other accused have been charged with impersonating police, court documents show. It's not the first run-in with cops for one of the accused. Kristofer Della-Pia, 22, was given a nine-month dangerous-driving sentence and lifetime firearms ban after a botched 1997 takedown near a North York strip club left two Toronto cops injured - one from a fellow officer's stray bullet. One of Della-Pia's cohorts in that strip club shooting is listed as an assault victim in the court documents outlining the charges against the gang. Project Captain, as cops dubbed the joint investigation into the gang, started in January when it was first learned one of their own might be involved. The first charges date back to last Dec. 27 when a man was allegedly confined and then robbed by members of the gang, court documents show. "(That) was the onset of the investigation," York Region Det. Randy Horne said. "It was the specific purpose - to investigate those suspicions." No other police officers are involved, said Det.-Sgt. Bill Sornberger of Toronto's holdup squad. Court documents show the gang's alleged criminal activity began to escalate in February when the accused allegedly started collecting and selling the drug Ecstasy. "Any robbery where firearms are involved has the potential to be violent and certainly the threat is there," Horne said. The group appeared together in court yesterday and along with Cooper, two other accused had facial scrapes and bruises and had to seek medical attention after the hearing. Besides Cooper and Della-Pia, Bobby Manchev, 31, Elie Salama, 24, Peter Maroulis, 29, Nick Koulias, 29, and Mike Wassilyn Jr., 27, all face charges which include armed robbery, conspiracy, impersonation, breach of trust, possession of controlled substances, restricted weapons and proceeds of crime. All will be back in court on Monday, except for Manchev and Wassilyn, who were remanded until Thursday. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D