Police in Laval, Montreal join forces to fight arsons, extortions linked to organized crime
Three major police forces are uniting to launch Projet Mèche, a joint investigation to fight organized crime in Montreal, Laval and North Shore communities.
The recent flare-up of crime targets local, culturally-specific businesses, police say. The offences range from arson and threats to armed assaults, extortion and even gunshots. In the past 12 months, police say there have been 67 incidents reported, mainly in Montreal and Laval.
"This violence will not be tolerated," said Kimon Christopoulos, a major crime inspector with the Laval police and spokesperson for Projet Mèche, during a media briefing on Thursday.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the Montreal police service (SPVM), and the Laval police service (SPL) said they noticed similarities in the cases. Now, they are joining forces in the hopes of putting an end to violent crimes against business owners.
So far, police have made 19 arrests. Charges have also been laid, including possession of weapons and ammunition, extortion, assault with a weapon, arson, possession of drugs and breach of a condition.
"The exchange of information, which is crucial to our investigations, will make a real impact and is making a real impact on our investigations and on the field," Christopoulos said.
Additional investigations are underway, according to police, who say the alleged victims in these cases appear to come from one community.
"We have very big Arab communities here in Laval and Montreal. They are the ones that are targeted," the Laval inspector said.
Police suspect the alleged perpetrators are targeting their own.
"It's the organized crime that's behind this … so that's another link that we saw. And they're using gangs to do the work," Christopoulos said.
In Laval, the hot spot is the Chomedey district. In Montreal, it's the borough of Saint-Laurent. Police are urging everyone in these areas to contact police with tips to assist investigators.
"Our merchants and our citizens are our eyes and ears on the field. They have to communicate with us, they have to contact us," Christopoulos said.
"If they have information, they have to give it to us."
Anyone who has information about incidents relating to the investigation is asked to contact the relevant police service.
- Laval police: 450-662-INFO (4636)
- Montreal police: 911 or Info-Crime Montreal at 514-393-1133
- SQ Criminal Information Centre: 1-800-659-4264
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.