Alarmed by the environmental offenses perpetrated by organized crime, Quebec is taking drastic measures and hiring a leader in the fight against corruption to tackle this scourge, our Bureau of Investigation has learned.
The Ministry of the Environment has set its sights on former investigator Denis Morin, retired from the Sûreté du Québec since 2021, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Denis Morin was notably head of the Marteau squad, from 2009 to 2012. This investigation team, integrated in 2011 into the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC), had the mission of shedding light on collusion in the industry construction and its links with organized crime.
Contaminated soils and construction
“Currently, we know that some environmental offenders have links to organized crime and this is why we wish to further develop this expertise,” commented the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Ghizlane Behdaoui.
The presence of criminal groups is particularly observed in cases affecting contaminated soil and the management of construction, renovation and demolition residues, specifies the Ministry.
Several cases of alleged environmental offenses and possibly perpetrated by relatives of criminal groups have made headlines in recent years (see opposite).
The Ministry refused to indicate whether it justified this hiring by an increase in the number of environmental offenses perpetrated by criminal groups. He also did not want to specify how many investigations of this nature were underway.
Develop “new strategies”
Former investigator Denis Morin will have a consulting role and will not himself be required to carry out criminal investigations, it is specified. The $80,000 contract, concluded on November 10, has a maximum duration of one year.
Its mission will be to “develop new investigation strategies” in the context of “cases that may involve individuals linked to organized crime,” adds the Ministry.
The latter also intends to act more effectively against “fraudulent schemes aimed at economic gain through the commission of environmental offenses”.
Mr. Morin will also have to provide recommendations so that Quebec can be better legally equipped when it wishes to take action.
Traceability program
Remember that in April 2019, the Ministry of the Environment announced the establishment of a soil traceability program making it possible to follow in real time, by GPS, the movement of excavated contaminated soil to the planned destination.
Minister Benoit Charette then indicated that it was the “optimal solution to act effectively in the face of the numerous illegal dumpings of contaminated soil observed in recent years.”
It was impossible to speak with Denis Morin, the Ministry having refused our interview request.
Cases of alleged infringements
- 2022: The Ministry of the Environment transmits to the DPCP a criminal file targeting Location Tri-Box, a company belonging to Roberto Scoppa, close to organized crime, reveals our Investigation Office. The company is criticized in particular for having carried out the non-compliant deposit of contaminated soil.
- 2019: The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the City of Montreal is concerned about the infiltration of organized crime in the elimination of contaminated soil, it writes in a report.
- 2017: Reports from The Press lift the veil on the existence of open-air dumps of contaminated land, particularly on agricultural land. We learn that organized crime players are sometimes involved.
- 2013: At the Charbonneau commission, an engineer from the Ministry of the Environment claims to have lost track of contaminated soils held by the company Carboneutre. This company was controlled by Raynald Desjardins and Domenico Arcuri, two men linked to the mafia.