The Sûreté du Québec on Tuesday arrested a retired investigator who allegedly transmitted inside information to suspects targeted by a criminal investigation.
According to our information, the former police officer Marc Vaillant was working in the regional mixed squad of the Outaouais when the facts occurred, in 2016.
As part of an investigation called Nouage aimed at dismantling a major network of cannabis production and drug trafficking in the region, the former police officer reportedly communicated information to targeted individuals.
According to our sources, Mr. Vaillant would have warned the suspects of an upcoming search. He reportedly transmitted privileged information to the network a few times.
“The 54-year-old man from Gatineau will be accused in particular of having intentionally tried to hinder, divert or thwart the course of justice and of having committed a breach of trust in relation to the functions of his office,” said Tuesday the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) in a press release.
The former police officer is scheduled to appear on November 23 at the Gatineau courthouse.
It was the investigators of the Internal Investigations Department of the Sûreté du Québec who proceeded Tuesday morning to his arrest. It is the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions who will ensure the rest of the proceedings.
At the time, around 100 police officers from the SQ, the Gatineau police and the MRC des Collines police took part in Operation Nouage.
About twenty people had been arrested as part of this operation, including the two presumed leaders of the network, Yann Maisonneuve and Hugues Mongeon.
With the collaboration of Daniel Renaud, Press