Read the article on Pressa touring with Drake in Europe published by the Toronto Sun.
Guns and kidnapping charges can wait for this Toronto rapper who somehow is travelling across Europe with superstar Drake.
Under his stage name Pressa, 20-year-old Quinton Gardiner is an opening act on Drake’s Boy Meets World tour.
While Gardiner is to appear in Old City Hall Oct. 20 for serious charges, strangely he’s currently tearing up the stages in England, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland and Sweden.
A talented rapper from north of Jane St. and Finch Ave., he is known for songs such as Deadmihana and Lavish.
So what is Gardiner doing across the pond posing for pictures, partying and performing with Drake?
The police officers who arrested the alleged gang leader would sure like to know.
Gardiner faces charges, including kidnapping for ransom and assault with a weapon, following an alleged wild kidnapping and condo shoot up at a Front St. condo last April.
It seems no one informed the arresting officers that his bail conditions would permit international jet travel, five-star hotels, luxury tour buses and performances in front of thousands of adoring fans.
But on Instagram and Twitter, Gardiner is flaunting his freedom and good fortune with dispatches from the road.
Gardiner was one of several arrested following an alleged kidnapping, pistol whipping and torture of two teens which later resulted in a gun fight at the elevator of a downtown condo.
Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders has suggested this incident could have been retaliatory following the gutless ambush slaying of innocent Candace Rochelle Bobb and her preemie son, Kyrie.
None of the theories or allegations have been tested in court.
The Toronto Sun has learned Gardiner was granted a “bail variance” that allows him to “leave the country for work purposes” from Feb. 15 to March 28.
The detectives on the case did not hear of it until someone pointed out their suspect’s jet-setting appearances on social media.
“I find it troubling,” said Insp. Mike Earl. “Here’s a guy (who’s) supposed to be on bail v on serious charges. Why is he permitted to leave country and tour with somebody who is a literal mentor to the city’s youth?”
So many other questions. Could he be a flight risk? Did Drake, whose OVO after-party at the Muzik nightclub two years ago saw two people murdered, know about Gardiner’s legal woes?
One social media picture shows Gardiner and Drake under the headline “just blew 50K on my lawyer.”
There are questions for Drake, too. As a recipient of Toronto’s key to the city, is the international star concerned about not only associating with someone facing serious criminal allegations but also helping to facilitate and foster that person’s life and career?
Drake or Pressa’s management have yet to respond to requests for comment.
“We believe (Gardiner) is one of the leaders of the Young Buck Killas (gang),” Earl told the Toronto Sun’s Chris Doucette last April.
Earl did not back down Monday, saying “Mr. Gardiner is known to police.”
Despite that, Gardiner — as Pressa — was rapping in Birmingham last week and is to be on stage Tuesday and Wednesday in Antwerp.
The Sun has also learned Gardiner was arrested and charged Aug. 18, 2016 for alleged breaches of his bail conditions involving accusations about the use of a cellphone and the making of a rap video.
“It’s very concerning to us,” said Earl.
But first comes Pressa’s rap tour in another part of the world. Then the less pressing detail of facing criminal charges in the Canadian courts.
SOURCE: Toronto Sun
