Five men Montreal police believe were involved in series of armoured truck robberies that occurred over the past 16 years now collectively face more than 90 charges.
The men are believed to have been involved in seven robberies committed in Montreal, Dorval, St. Lazare, and Brossard between 1999 and 2015.
Police say they believe the men formed an influential organization that specialized in those kinds of heists.
"They were planning to attack another armed truck in the Montreal region," said Vincent Rozon of the Montreal police major crimes unit. "Those people were using a lot of surveillance. They were looking at the habits of all the trucks delivering money to the bank."
The suspects are:
- Walter Butt, 54
- Paul Thomas Bryntwick, 64
- David Stachula, 47
- Serge Fournier, 64
- Gary Marsden, 63
Butt is alleged to be the ringleader and faces a total of 39 charges.
A Canada-wide warrant was issued for their arrests. Montreal police led the investigation in partnership with the Surete du Quebec and with the help of Peel Regional Police in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa police, and Longueuil police.
The men appeared in court briefly Wednesday and are facing charges including robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, breaking and entering, discharging a firearm and using an imitation firearm.
Family members who attending the proceedings were heard breaking down in the background.
They will remain in custody until their next court date in January.
Police believe the men were involved in the following robberies:
Sept. 2, 1999: At Galeries des Sources in Dorval
Oct. 27, 2011: On Sherbrooke St. E in Montreal
Dec. 12, 2013: Two suspects escaped after robbing a truck on St. Louis Rd. in St. Lazare. Three vehicles were later found torched.
April 30, 2014: On Dorval Ave. in Dorval
August 21, 2014: Two armed men, possibly wearing Halloween masks, attacked two employees of the Garda security firm at a Royal Bank branch at Place Portobello in Brossard. The thieves attacked guards with pepper spray before making off with an unconfirmed sum of money.
Oct. 29, 2014: Two armed and masked suspects ambushed security guards outside a Bank of Montreal at Masson and 5th in Rosemont at 8 p.m. The thieves fled with a bag full of an undisclosed amount of money. No weapons were fired.
January 29, 2015: A pair of masked men walked into the Royal Bank at Van Horne and Victoria, tie up a janitor and then wait inside to ambush the Garda truck employees.
