13 arrested as RCMP raids 'suspected criminal organization' in Montreal
The RCMP arrested 13 people and raided several locations in the Montreal area Tuesday in a major operation targeting a suspect criminal organization.
During the raids, police shattered a window at Bar Lily's on Fleury Street East. It was one of several locations targeted in the raids that involved nearly 400 officers.
RCMP spokesperson Charles Poirier said officers searched four businesses in total, as well as 16 residences and two vehicles.
The RCMP-led operation is in partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency and Montreal police. Poirier said it stems from an investigation from its Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
"This investigation targets an alleged criminal organization that operates here in Montreal, and the infractions that are being investigated are cocaine trafficking, money laundering and illegal gambling," he said.
While the RCMP did not name the organization, La Presse's organized crime and police reporter, Daniel Renaud, says it involves the Lopez-Oliverio clan, which is part of the Calabrian clan of the Montreal Mafia.
"We know that the Lopezs are involved in drug trafficking. Remember, in 2015, three brothers of the Lopez family were arrested," Renaud told CTV News.
The RCMP conducts a "major operation" against a "suspected criminal organization" in Montreal. (Xavier Duranleau/CTV News)
Former Montreal police detective Pietro Poletti says the family has been active for the past 30 to 35 years.
Poletti said they are the "top five families, I would say, especially in Canada, with strong connections in South America, Dominican Republic."
According to Renaud, two Lopez brothers were taken into custody. The RCMP did not identify any of the suspects on Tuesday.
"Some of them have been brought to the RCMP headquarters in Westmount, while others have been brought to SPVM police headquarters for questioning," Poirier said.
Poirier says it's unlikely anyone will be charged following these raids because the national police force is still in the middle of its investigation, but hopes charges could be laid in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.