Quebec police arrest retired detective accused of passing info to organized crime
Quebec provincial police arrested their own former colleague on Tuesday for allegedly passing along police secrets to organized-crime suspects in Gatineau five years ago.
Since 2016, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) knew someone might have given out privileged information during a drug trafficking investigation, SQ spokesperson Benoit Richard told CTV News.
They finally arrested a 54-year-old former detective who has since retired.
"We got some leads that there could have been some leaks, and in 2019... the information was taken up by Internal Affairs of Sûreté du Québec," said Richard.
"What we allege is that he gave out some information to a third party that was able to give that [information] to some of the people that were investigated."
Quebec police didn't name the man, with Richard explaining it's not customary to name an accused person until he or she is arraigned in court, which in this case will happen in a month.
However, La Presse reported Tuesday that his name is Marc Vaillant.
The man was arrested Tuesday morning in Gatineau, where he lives, and is expected to face charges of obstruction of justice and breach of trust.
The events date back to 2015 and 2016, when the SQ had an investigation targeting organized crime in the Outaouais region, which includes the city of Gatineau.
"He was not undercover," said Richard. "He was a regular detective," based in the Outaouais.
The drug trafficking investigation was an attempt to crack down at cannabis production in the area. It lasted at least two years and involved more than 100 officers from different police forces, according to an SQ release from 2016.
It ended with 21 arrests in the fall of 2016, including the two men who police said were "the presumed leaders of the large-scale production and distribution of cannabis in the Outaouais region," Yann Maisonneuve and Hugues Mongeon.
Their drug ring had an estimated profit of nearly $4 million annually, police alleged at the time, and involved many of their family and friends.
Despite the extensive property searches and arrests, police ended up feeling that "maybe we found less stuff than we should have found," said Richard, after getting wind of a potential leak.
He said he didn't know whether the ex-detective is accused of profiting off leaks, but the charges make clear that the SQ are alleging he did it intentionally and "gave out privileged information that he knew was privileged."
The ex-officer "will be accused, among other things, of having willfully attempted to obstruct, hijack or thwart the course of justice and of having committed a breach of trust in relation to the duties of his office," the SQ wrote in their release.
"The charges against this ex-investigator relate to inside information that he knowingly passed on to suspects targeted by a criminal investigation."
He is scheduled to appear at the Gatineau courtouse on Nov. 17 to face the charges.
The criminal case has been handed to Quebec's Crown prosecutor, the SQ said. But the force's internal affairs department has also pledged to be transparent about the steps it took in this case.
Such cases are "uncommon" and "always upsetting," said Richard, but as far as other officers are concerned, the important thing "is that when we get those kinds of information, it's to take action."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chemical spill could be cause of stinky water in Puslinch, Ont., new report says
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.
Maple Leafs eliminated from NHL playoffs with Game 7 OT loss to Bruins
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
‘Love has no boundaries’: Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Ukraine marks its third Easter at war as it comes under fire from Russian drones and troops
As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia on Sunday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine's east, wounding more than a dozen people, and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.