Two Quebec police squads were involved in raids that resulted in multiple arrests and the seizure of drugs.
The first raid was the final phase of a police operation that began 11 months ago in the Montreal area aimed at putting an end to the large-scale production of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) by a suspected criminal gang that has also been distributing the drug commonly referred to as the date rape drug since 2014.
The deployment of police officers from the North Shore Regional Joint Force (RJF) led to the arrest of five men and three women in the region as well as in Montérégie on Wednesday morning.
Several thousand litres of a product used to manufacture GHB were seized during the investigation.
Multiple criminal charges are expected to be laid later today at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse against the alleged criminals.
The Government of Quebec advises that possession of even a small amount of GHB can result in penalties and a criminal record.
The other operation is being led by police officers from the Saguenay Regional Joint Force (RJF) in relation to drug trafficking, including cocaine, in the cities of Saguenay, Québec, Brossard and Abbotsford, British Columbia.
Several arrests were made in this operation, which began in August 2021 and involved more than 50 police officers from various investigative units and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and its partners from the Service de police de la Ville de Saguenay (SPVS), the Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The operation is aimed at arresting criminals qualified as influential.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Feb. 15, 2023.
