Three 19-year-old men were arrested by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) for thefts of puppies, small French bulldogs, having occurred last year.
The provincial police force has just reported the arrest on Wednesday of two Laval residents, Mohammed Bjitar and Algo Brian Fotso Youmby, as well as Denzel Lina from Blainville.
Last fall, breeders in several regions of Quebec reported to the police that they had been victims of puppy theft.
The vast majority of reports had similarities, underlines the SQ. The puppies — overwhelmingly French bulldogs — had been posted on classifieds websites. The suspects showed up in groups at the posted address and used force and sometimes even prohibited weapons, such as cayenne pepper, to flee with the puppies.
In October 2021, an 18-year-old man from Laval was arrested in the act in Thurso, Outaouais.
But the investigation continued: SQ investigators in several regions got down to work to try to make links between the different thefts. The result of their efforts was submitted to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), who issued the executed arrest warrants on Wednesday, the SQ reported.
The three men appeared in connection with the following offences: break and enter into residences, robbery, having in their possession a prohibited weapon and carrying a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
Two of the three men arrested on Wednesday were already in detention in Montreal and the third also remains detained following his appearance in this case.
Although this crackdown has solved some cases, the investigation is continuing and other arrests could follow, said the SQ.