(Montreal) The Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced Thursday that it has filed charges against three individuals involved in a money laundering case.
Posted at 10:59
Updated at 11:58 a.m.
The defendants are two residents of Laval, Michael-Joey D’Opéra and Yann Trépanier, aged 27 and 49 respectively, and a 35-year-old Montrealer, Andrew Barera. They are suspected of having links with Colombian criminal organisations.
The investigation began in March 2020 following information sent by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the US federal agency responsible for combating drug trafficking. The investigation then showed that these individuals laundered more than $18 million in less than a year.
During searches carried out in July 2021, the police seized $46,000 in cash, firearms and prohibited devices, a silencer and accounting books.
The three defendants will appear on July 15 at the Montreal courthouse. They will face charges of laundering proceeds of crime, conspiracy to import and possess narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of prohibited weapons and devices.