The Decibel How the towing industry is linked to police corruption
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Mar 12, 2026 Molly Hayes, Globe and Mail reporter who has investigated violence and corruption in towing, explores why towing attracts criminal activity. She discusses turf wars and violent clashes at crash scenes. She outlines fraud schemes tied to repairs, physio and legal kickbacks. She explains how police control of tow assignments and data can enable corrupt networks.
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Why Towing Generates High Profits
- Towing is highly lucrative because a single crash generates revenue streams for tow trucks, body shops, physio clinics, rental companies and lawyers.
- Molly Hayes traced how those downstream profits create strong incentives for businesses to pay kickbacks to tow operators.
Tow Trucks Torched In GTA Turf War
- Hayes documented repeated arsons and killings linked to tow operators, revealing a sustained turf war in the GTA.
- She began tracking burned trucks in 2018–2019 and found the incidents were frequent and tied to industry violence.
Tow Trucks Provide Plausible Criminal Cover
- Tow trucks offer practical cover for criminal activity because they legitimately move vehicles and goods.
- Molly Hayes noted dealers and thieves can stash drugs or hot cars on tow trucks without raising suspicion.