Police dismantle huge Canadian drug network

[oneh2obabe]

Quebec police forces have made 111 arrests in one of the largest crackdowns on organized crime and the drug trade in the province's history.

More arrests may be made as the investigation progresses, police say.

A total of 127 people were targeted in Operation Loquace. Of those people, 26 are still at large.

Sûreté du Québec officials say 10 other arrests were made without warrants during Thursday's raids.

Six people were allegedly leading the criminal activities and relying on other organizations to import and distribute large amounts of cocaine, police said.

Two of the alleged leaders, identified as Shane Maloney and Larry Amero, were apprehended in Montreal's Verdun borough and face charges of of conspiracy to traffic drugs, drug trafficking, conspiracy to import drugs, drug importation and gangsterism.

Amero is allegedly linked to the Hell's Angels in British Columbia.

Maloney was arrested in June after an off-duty Montreal police officer was beaten up in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

A news release issued by the provincial police earlier on Thursday identifies some of the 111 people arrested as important members of the Hells Angels and the Italian Mafia, but no further details were given.

The warrants were executed in Quebec and Ontario, according to Sgt. Grégory Gomez Del Prado of Quebec provincial police. B.C. police are also involved in the investigation.

Authorities say the following people are the remaining suspected leaders of the scheme and face charges of conspiracy to traffic drugs, drug trafficking, conspiracy to import drugs, drug importation and gangsterism.
Rabih Alkalil of Montreal.
Frédéric Lavoie of Montreal.
Mihale Leventis of Montreal.
Timoléon Psyharis of Laval, Que.

Another man, Steven Amgar, was not identified by police as an alleged leader but is considered to be close to the ringleaders.

Quebec provincial police said the charges may change as the investigation progresses.

Twenty-two police forces teamed up to carry out search warrants in 30 municipalities in Quebec this morning in connection with the crackdown on organized crime and the drug trade.

The SQ's vice-director Jean Audette said "the consortium did not hesitate to use violence to spread its market. Many parallel cases are being investigated in Quebec and elsewhere in the country."

According to authorities, members of the Hells Angels and other participants in organized crime were partnering to import and distribute large amounts of cocaine.

Authorities are looking for five people considered to be some of the network's ringleaders or orchestrators. (Sûreté du Québec)

A police news release says a total of $255,000 in cash, 6,000 pills, nine kilograms of cannabis, three kilograms of cocaine, 13 barrels of GBL (a solvent used in creating date rape drugs) and 35 vehicles were seized in today's operation.

Police also seized five residences with a total estimated value of $1.5 million.

Before today, police seized 153 kilograms of cocaine and 46,100 units of methamphetamines, along with 161 guns, 291 prohibited weapons, 1,486 explosives and 50 detonators in a sweep connected to the latest raids.

A separate operation that took place in Sainte-Sophie in August yielded nearly 400 guns, other weapons and several stolen explosives that were hidden in a warehouse.

Audette said the police estimate the organization could distribute up to 75 kilograms of cocaine in the span of a week.

Police said the drug network was closely affiliated with the Mexican drug cartel and used ground transit to bring cocaine to Canada.

Authorities said the network's worth was estimated at $50 million after six months of drug distribution.

Police mentioned some of the people arrested were linked to violent crimes, but would not divulge more details.

The alleged leader of the cocaine trafficking operation was arrested in a residential complex on Montreal's Nun's Island this morning, according to Radio-Canada.

Nearly 1,000 police officers from Quebec services and the RCMP are involved in the ongoing investigation.

Police in Laval, Que. said 20 warrants were executed on their territory since 6:30 a.m. ET. Around 70 of their officers were involved, including two tactical teams.

At the Montreal police's northern operational building, streams of marked and unmarked police cars carrying suspects arrived throughout the morning

Police likened the scale of Thursday's operation to their last two massive ones targeting bikers in Quebec.

"It's a very large operation – we're talking about one almost as large as the ones we made in [operations] Springtime and SharQC," said Sgt. Benoit Richard of the provincial police.

Operation SharQC, carried out in Quebec and New Brunswick in 2009, targeted the Hells Angels and led to the arrest of 111 full-patch members of the club. Thirteen members arrested in the sweep pleaded guilty this spring to charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

The 2001 Operation Springtime also targeted the Hells Angels and led to the arrest of dozens of club members and associates and further charges laid against former president of the Montreal chapter, Maurice (Mom) Boucher.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/s ... ml?cmp=rss

[WhatThe]

I wonder how much the actual opeeration cost the taxpayer?

[Queen K]

And I wonder what the ultimate cost would be to not take them out.

[JLives]

And I wonder what the ultimate cost would be to not take them out.

The same as if we do. Did this bust affect the availability of drugs? Nope. Everything remains the same.

[SmokeOnTheWater]

And I wonder what the ultimate cost would be to not take them out.

The same as if we do. Did this bust affect the availability of drugs? Nope. Everything remains the same.

A drop in the bucket.

[twobits]

The same as if we do. Did this bust affect the availability of drugs? Nope. Everything remains the same.

And until the profit motive is removed, there will be a dozen in line to take over for every one that was arrested. Talk about a *bleep*

[Relentless]

The same as if we do. Did this bust affect the availability of drugs? Nope. Everything remains the same.

Busting these gangsters just makes it one step closer to proving that they are "Organized Crime" members, in hopes of one day changing the law to read "known drug dealing gangsters shot on sight, as cops have zero tolerance to these types".

And, of course it made a difference.
Just knowing that these outlaws are getting busted is worth it.
It's just really too bad they can't be shot on sight yet.

Drug dealing, gun holding, tax evading, intimidating outlaw criminal freaks shouldn't belong here on earth.
These are the very worst type of people, who could support them, and their actions?

It's best to get on the gangsters case, then to let them take over without consequences.
I wish they would just start shooting these outlaws, and set some new guidelines.
They don't even have to tell us that they shot these gangsters, just tell us they found the bodies.

[Queen K]

The Mexican gangs got out of hand because nobody nipped it in the bud when it started.

I hope North American authoriites have actually learned from that lesson.

And a long long time ago I wrote a little ditty in some other anti gang/drug thread that the only thing giving these guys 1.5 million dollar homes is demand.

And what is driving this demand in the richest segment of the World? How does it even start? The pushers. Street level, after your kids.

That'd be YOUR child. Because they know, the KNOW with certainity, that the chances of getting your child OFF of the drugs are much lower than getting your kids on it.

They know governments have no resources to fund more programs. They know parents are stretched finanacially and can't afford private counselling. I know a parent who said, "we tried it all. but get druggies with druggies and there's always one to offer drugs in a supposedly clean environment and then the circle starts all over again."

Gangs win keeping the money streams coming in. And that's all your kids are, money streams.

[dirtybiker]

"known drug dealing gangsters shot on sight,
It's just really too bad they can't be shot on sight
I wish they would just start shooting these outlaws,

BUt, but, but.....It's really tough to rehabilitate them after...look at all the job losses.

[Queen K]

Rehab? What are these guys going to do, get a job a a paint supply store? Become information systems analysts?

They already know how to analyze the system and know how to make much better money.

[dirtybiker]

Doh....guess i forgot the....

Sarcasm/ Off

Why is it that Ultraviolets answer to everything is Kill'em all???????????

Something inheritantly wrong there!!!!!

[Queen K]

I once told someone these drug dealers are after their kids and grandkids.

"NOT MINE" he said.

No, I didn't say your kids and grandkids would fall for it. I said, they're AFTER them.

All of them.
Yes, yours.

[WhatThe]

Rehab? What are these guys going to do, get a job a a paint supply store? Become information systems analysts?

They already know how to analyze the system and know how to make much better money.

For a second there, I thought you may have been talking about racist politicians or ones that now just want to be relected.

[SurplusElect]

Now everyone with the ability to import cocaine/drugs knows there is a job opportunity that just opened up out east.

That 50 million dollars in 6 months worth of demand didn't just disappear.

RCMP working for the competition.

[Treblehook]

I wonder why every headline like this ends up being taken over by the debate about legalizing drugs to get rid of organized crime. Here is a hypothetical headline for you. "Canada Legalizes All Drugs of Abuse!! All Canadian Organized Crime Members Now Gainfully Employed in Legal Activities."