A massive multi-provincial police operation investigating 26 vehicle fraud cases worth over $3.3 million resulted in three arrests, including two in Quebec. One suspect is still being sought. Cases in Ontario (nine), Manitoba (one), New Brunswick (six), Nova Scotia (two) and Quebec (eight) led to the arrest of a 47-year-old Mascouche man and a 62-year-old man from Montreal. Another man, 61, currently being held in Ontario, was also arrested. Police have also issued an arrest warrant for Trésor N’Kumbu Luyeye, 42, from Mascouche. Quebec provincial police (SQ) say the main players in the fraud cell operated out of Mascouche, a suburb north of Montreal. The arrested suspects are scheduled to appear in court in Joliette on July 17 to face charges. The investigation stems from 26 alleged frauds in 2022-2023 at 22 vehicle dealerships across the five provinces. “The total amount of the frauds was more than $3,300,000 in Canadian currency,” the SQ said in a news release on Thursday. “The suspects purchased high-value vehicles, averaging $126,500. They used false documents such as identification papers, credit report documents, cheque specimens, pay stubs and proof of insurance, to purchase and recover the vehicles from the dealers. The vehicles were then exported by sea.” The SQ said two vehicles were recovered and that they received help from financial institutions and various municipal police services. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of N’Kumbu Luyeye is asked to contact the SQ’s info centre at 1-800-659-4264.
