VVT (gang)

VVT

Territory	India, Sri Lanka, Canada, UK, Australia, Turkey, Middle East
Ethnicity	Tamils, Bengali, Romani
Criminal activities	Extortion, arms trafficking, fraud, cybercrime, human trafficking, prostitution, drug trafficking, kidnapping, credit card fraud

VVT is a Tamil gang in Toronto believed to be named after the Sri Lankan town of Valvettithurai. It was founded in the early 1990s by Tamil immigrants. The VVT 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 and motivated by the profits of crime. The VVT were considered to be highly organized with members ranging in age from their early teenage years to men in their 30s. In the mid to late 90's and 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 mandir, however a murder a year later renewed the fighting.

VVT had multiple leaders who represent their respective territories through out the GTA, Waterloo, Hamilton, Ottawa and Montreal. Even after the deportation of some prominent members, authorities believe this gang is still in operation through its younger generation. Police believe VVT members are heavily involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, fraud, weapon trafficking, counterfeiting, and extortion. The group is now international.