A major police operation against drug trafficking was launched Thursday morning in several territories on the North Shore of Montreal, as well as in Montreal and Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac, in Montérégie.
The Regional Mixed Squad (ERM) Rive-Nord said Thursday that following searches carried out in November 2021 and March 2022, the police had made Thursday 17 arrests of people involved in drug trafficking. Two other suspects are still being sought, indicates the ERM Rive-Nord.
Those arrested Thursday morning were scheduled to appear at the Laval courthouse to face charges of conspiracy, trafficking in substances, possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of substances, according to the ERM.
Some will also face charges of possession of a prohibited weapon, careless storage of firearms and possession of property obtained by crime. They should all be released on conditions after their appearance.
The police believe that some of these suspects belong to organized crime.
Thursday’s operations mobilized more than 80 police officers from different units of the Sûreté du Québec and various municipal police services.
Investigation started in 2020
The Regional Mixed Squad (ERM) Rive-Nord explains that these arrests are the result of an investigation initiated in 2020.
As part of this investigation, searches were carried out in November 2021 and March 2022. They resulted in the seizure of more than 100 kilos of cocaine, firearms and automobiles. Thursday’s arrests are in fact the final phase of this long investigation, says the ERM Rive-Nord.
Since the start of this investigation, police say they have seized more than 104 kilos of cocaine, eight firearms, more than 2,600 methamphetamines, more than $195,000 in Canadian currency and eight bitcoin servers. The operation also made it possible to obtain a “blocking order” on a residence in Laval worth $500,000.