Montreal police say they have dismantled a ring of thieves that have been breaking into luxury homes and businesses in recent months.
They say an organized group of South American suspects is behind the 130 break-ins since June 2016.
In the past month, police have carried out nine raids and made 12 arrests in Montreal, Boucherville and Laval, linking the suspects to the rash of break-ins.
Some of the suspects arrested may also be connected to a spectacular Toronto-area armoured truck robbery, police say, adding that heads of the network frequently used people with precarious status in Canada, such as foreign visitors, to commit robberies.
In one case, investigators arrested 50-year-old Simon Perez for a major theft in the Outremont area in August. The five searches carried out following his arrest allowed investigators to recover a large portion of the stolen items, including valuable sports artefacts.
Among the 12 people arrested, seven of them recently appeared in court: Mario Stephano Guillerno Astudillo Olivares, 26, Hans Leonardo Llanquinao Gonzalez, 37, Carlos Mendez, 40, Enrique Felipe Mendez, 24, Luis Tito Parades Pinedo, 51, Simon Perez, 50, and Hugo David Ruiz Santibanez, 41. They are facing various charges, including break and enters, theft over $5,000 and conspiracy.
