The correctional officer, accused of directing another guard to search the jail’s inmate database, intends to fight the allegations, his lawyer 

**By** [Abby O’Brien **Staff Reporter**](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/Abby-O'Brien), and [Calvi Leon **Staff Reporter**](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/Calvi-Leon)

A staff sergeant at a Toronto super jail has been criminally charged in the wake of the massive police corruption probe, [Project South](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/police/project-south/).

Muhamer Oruglica is accused of directing another staff member at the [Toronto South Detention Centre](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/where-are-these-people-meant-to-go-toronto-judge-slams-jail-conditions-while-handing-down/article_468cbc13-0114-4876-8fd5-f08714c36dec.html) to unlawfully search an inmate on the jail’s database last September.

York police arrested the 35-year old in late February, just weeks after announcing the results of a months-long investigation that uncovered Toronto cops had allegedly leaked confidential information used to facilitate shootings, extortion and other crimes — including a [plot to murder a manager](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/i-know-things-about-you-just-weeks-before-an-attempted-hit-on-ontario-jail-official/article_37d25599-4287-4cc2-8ee9-329aad61ba70.html) known for his strict enforcement inside the Toronto jail.

It remains unclear how exactly the allegations against Oruglica fit into the sweeping investigation. Investigators confirmed only that Oruglica was “arrested as a result of information that originated from Project South.”

“We are unable to provide any further details regarding his charges or his role as Project South remains an ongoing investigation,” said York Regional Police spokesperson Const. Kevin Nebrija.

In a brief phone exchange, Oruglica denied any connection between his case and Project South.

“There should be no connection. I’m not a part of anything like that,” he told the Star.

Oruglica’s lawyer, Carmelo Truscello, said he has received “no information from the Crown’s office indicating any connection” between Project South and his client, who “intends to defend against the allegations.”

The database Oruglica allegedly directed a colleague to unlawfully access includes information such as the inmate’s address, as well as the names of those listed as emergency contacts or who deposit money into an inmate’s account, according to a jail source.

# Ontario government refused to answer questions about jail guard allegations

If connected to Project South, the staff sergeant’s arrest marks a new chapter in the scandal, as the allegations of wrongdoing stretch beyond the ranks of Toronto police and into the same jail where a manager was the target of an alleged murder attempt.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General, which oversees Ontario’s jails, has steadfastly refused to answer questions regarding the allegations facing Oruglica and others inside the jail, even as new evidence emerges suggesting additional correctional officers may be implicated.

On March 1, just days after Oruglica’s arrest, officials from the province’s correctional services intelligence branch visited the Etobicoke jail — known to inmates and employees alike as “the South” — to interview staff, according to two sources who work there. The Star is not identifying these sources due to fears of professional repercussions for speaking to the media.

The employee that Oruglica allegedly directed to unlawfully query an inmate was interviewed and later walked off the property, the sources said. She has not returned to work since, the sources said.

Meanwhile, another jail employee appears to be on the list of individuals that Project South accused Brian Da Costa is not allowed to contact as part of his bail conditions.

Da Costa, an [accused drug trafficker](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/alleged-drug-trafficker-at-the-heart-of-project-south-scandal-has-been-granted-bail/article_143ed90b-677e-4a36-9039-a5250b3dff1b.html) alleged to be at the heart of the police corruption scandal, is barred from contacting any of seven current Toronto police officers arrested in Project South, as well [Gurpreet Singh](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/a-central-figure-in-the-project-south-bust-has-been-ordered-not-to-contact-a/article_d0a265a5-6721-432b-9b61-ea89cda932f1.html), an inmate at the South [accused of moving drugs](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/gta-man-accused-of-organizing-drug-shipments-for-ex-olympian-is-an-unacceptably-high-flight/article_ba2b8d02-9122-4ee9-ae1a-4b59e754ff4b.html) for ex-Olympian turned alleged drug lord [Ryan Wedding](https://archive.ph/o/V7MeJ/https://www.thestar.com/news/crime/ryan-wedding/).

# Jail corporal has been off work since Project South bust, colleagues say

Among the names on Da Costa’s no-contact list is Nishwant Dosanjh. There is a corporal at the South by the same name. The ministry of the Solicitor General would not comment on whether the woman named in Da Costa’s bail documents is the jail employee.

According to two sources inside the jail, Cpl. Dosanjh left work suddenly on the day the results of Project South were announced and has not returned. The Star has reviewed an internal document that suggests Dosanjh’s work email has been deactivated.

Repeated attempts to contact Dosanjh and her family were unsuccessful. Lawyers for Da Costa and Singh did not respond to questions about the appearance of her name within Project South court documents.

According to the two sources who spoke to the Star, Dosanjh oversaw the tower in the South that housed Singh during most of his detention at the Etobicoke facility.

Last week, for reasons that went unexplained to staff who spoke to the Star, Singh was transferred from his longtime cell to the Special Handling Unit, the sources said.

Singh has been in custody since October 2024 and is fighting extradition to the U.S., where he faces several charges for allegedly helping Wedding move drugs into Canada. In a brief court hearing this week, an agent appearing on behalf of Singh’s lawyers said his team has made inquiries about his transfer to a new unit at the jail but they’ve gone unanswered.

“Since last Friday, it’s our understanding that there have been significant issues with Mr. Singh at the Toronto South Detention Centre,” Christopher Lutes said on Wednesday.

“He has been placed in the Special Handling Unit and has had very limited access to counsel and the outside world since then.”

Singh’s lawyers did not respond to the Star’s requests for comment about their client being moved or his presence on Da Costa’s no-contact list. 

The ministry of the Solicitor General also declined to comment on Dosanjh, with spokesman Brent Ross saying, “the ministry does not comment on personnel matters.”

Ross also declined to confirm if any jail staff have been suspended in relation to Project South, nor what measures are taken to safeguard against breaches of trust within the workforce.

Chad Oldfield, spokesperson for the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union local that represents the South’s correctional officers, told the Star he could not comment on whether specific members may be involved in any ongoing investigations.

“Any action which threatens the safety of our members needs to be fully investigated and addressed,” Oldfield said. “We do not condone any criminal conduct, especially any conduct that negatively impacts the safety of workers within the correctional system, our justice and law enforcement partners, or the communities that we all work diligently to protect.”

# Who is Muhamer Oruglica?

Oruglica has been employed with the Ministry of the Solicitor since 2014. According to the Ontario sunshine list, he was promoted from a general duty officer to a staff sergeant in 2024, his annual pay rising to nearly $125,000.

In addition to his role at the jail, business records obtained by the Star list Oruglica as the director of a company called NV Entertainment. According to its website, the company offers event and promotional services, including private talent bookings, limousine and bus rentals, and private bottle services.

Still, Oruglica faced growing debts and, in February of this year, filed a consumer proposal, an alternative to bankruptcy in which a debtor can set up a payment plan so creditors can recover a portion of what they are owed.

As part of that process, Oruglica told the federal government that his “income wasn’t able to cover (his) day to day expenses.” On top of a mortgage and bank loans, he had accrued more than $41,000 in credit card debt.

As part of Oruglica’s February arrest, police executed a search warrant on his home in Brampton. There, officers allegedly found a loaded Smith & Wesson on his bedside table.

Oruglica’s charges include one count of breach of trust, one count of fraudulently using a computer with the intent to commit an offence and two firearm-related offences. On Feb. 25, he was released on $10,000 bail on the condition that he reside at either of his sureties’ residences, in Thamesford and Mississauga.

The allegations have not been tested in court. Oruglica is scheduled to return to court later this month.

[https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/toronto-south-sergeant-arrested-in-the-wake-of-the-project-south-police-corruption-scandal/article\_a0900b65-44c3-4cf3-ae3e-5d60e081992c.html](https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/toronto-south-sergeant-arrested-in-the-wake-of-the-project-south-police-corruption-scandal/article_a0900b65-44c3-4cf3-ae3e-5d60e081992c.html)

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Toronto South sergeant (Muhamer Oruglica) arrested in the wake of the Project South police corruption scandal