Cops bust 17 in drug raids north of Montreal

MONTREAL - Police rounded up 17 suspects and $15,000 worth of cocaine, hash and ecstasy Thursday in Laval, Repentigny, Ste. Sophie and St. Jerome.

The cops also seized two firearms and $15,000 in cash and discovered a grow-op.

The suspects are expected to face a cornucopia of drug-related charges, including infractions dealing with the production and sale of illicit drugs. 

Eight of the 17 suspects were slated for hearings at the St. Jerome courthouse Friday.

The busts echo a similar raid in the Eastern Townships south of Montreal, also held Thursday.

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  Toronto police and Canada Customs have made what they claim is the largest Canadian seizure of the designer drug Ecstasy, at approximately 170,000 tablets worth an estimated $5 million, shown at a press conference in Toronto, May 17, 2000. The pills were found starpped to the bodies and in the clothing of five people who entered Canada on the same flight from Paris, Tuesday, May 16, 2000.(CP PHOTO/Tannis Toohey)