MONTREAL -- Police searches took place Tuesday morning in the Montreal region as part of an operation targeting the activities of a group linked to organized crime with “ramifications in the Middle East," police said.

The investigations were ordered in the Greater Montreal area, though it’s unclear exactly what officers are searching for, or if they plan to make any arrests.

“These searches, which mainly target activities linked to drug trafficking and money laundering, take place in 10 residences and 6 businesses, including employment agencies and luxury car rental [companies],” wrote the SQ in a release.

Police aren’t providing further comment to media while investigations are ongoing.

The National Organized Crime Repression Squad (ENRCO) mainly target activities related to drug trafficking and money laundering. It’s made up of provincial officers from Quebec and Ontario, municipal police, and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

UNRELATED SEARCH ON WEEKEND

Tuesday's searches mark the second major operation involving ENRCO in recent days. 

In a series of unrelated searches on Sunday, Quebec provincial police, Rimouski police and ENRCO carried out a series of searches and arrests around Rimouski, a small city near the N.B. border. 

According to police, the searches were ordered after officers received information from the public.

Those investigations took place in a residence located on Principale St. in the municipality of Trinité-des-Monts, as well as in an apartment building on Léonidas South Ave. in Rimouski.

Three men and a woman were arrested, including Dave Gauthier-Trépanier, 51, from Trinité-des-Monts, Guillaume Tremblay, 42, from Rimouski, as well as Stéphane Constantineau, 44, from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, who was stopped on Highway 20 in Drummondville.

The three men appeared in court on Monday on charges for alleged drug possession and trafficking.

During the searches, the police reportedly seized more than a kilo of cocaine, a large amount of cash, two guns, four air guns, equipment used for the sale of narcotics, and three vehicles as properties related to alleged offences.

-- With files from the Canadian Press