An undetermined number of people were arrested Wednesday morning in the St. Hyacinthe area of the Monteregie region southeast of Montreal as part of a lengthy investigation launched by police in June 2020 to neutralize the activities of suspected drug traffickers.
Those arrested were taken to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) headquarters in Montreal where they are expected to be questioned prior to their scheduled court appearance.
They could face charges related to conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and possession of firearms.
As part of this lengthy investigation, searches were conducted in November and December 2021, as well as a year ago in March 2022.
The arrests were made by officers of the Escouade régionale mixte (ERM) Montérégie, in collaboration with organized crime investigators, Indigenous police officers, members of the Sûreté du Québec Emergency Response Team, criminal intelligence officers and officers from the organized crime response teams.
The outcome of the operation had not been determined by police as of early morning; it is expected to be determined later Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 8, 2023.
