MONTREAL

Police seize 4,000 rocks of crack, make 22 arrests in East End raids

CTV Montreal Published Wednesday, March 18, 2015 5:11PM EDT Last Updated Wednesday, March 18, 2015 7:46PM EDT

Those arrested by Montreal police Wednesday were, (top row from left) Yanick Viau, Claudio Ponari, Sylvain Piquette, (bottom row) Vincent Charron, Lucassie Bonhomme,Yanic Bilodeau.

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Montreal police have arrested 22 people following 21 drug raids in the East End Wednesday.

Police seized 4,000 rocks of crack and $14,000 in cash in raids on 15 homes and six cars in a troubled area of Hochelaga Maisonneuve, home to frequent reports of prostitution, drug addiction and violent incidents.

About a dozen more arrests are expected, according to Montreal police.

Seventeen of the 22 accused were processed on a variety of drug-related charges Wednesday by video conference.

Yanic Bilodeau, 34, Sylvain Piquette, 38, Lucassie Bonhomme, 32, Claudio Ponari, 57, Vincent Charron, 29 and Yanick Viau, 31 were among those arrested.

Ponari is listed in city tax records as the owner of the rooming house at 3629 Ste. Catherine E., which was the location of a shooting which left a woman in critical condition in 2005 and also of a fire in 2013.