Quebec police seize hundreds of fake IDs and equipment in raid

Quebec provincial police (SQ) seized hundreds of fake IDs and equipment to make them in a raid. (SQ)

The Quebec provincial police (SQ) economic crime squad busted a counterfeit document and credit card operation and seized hundreds of fake IDs and equipment allegedly used to make the documents.

Police said in a news release that officers searched an undisclosed location on March 21 and seized almost 1,000 falsified documents and equipment used to make driver’s licenses, residency cards, health cards, social insurance cards, as well as debit and credit cards.

Police seized the following:

• Five embossing machines and one punching machine;
• A laser engraver;
• 26 specialized printers;
• Three laminating machines;
• A counterfeit detection machine;
• Pre-prepared envelopes containing different ID cards under the same name;
• Boxes filled with white cards ready for production, holograms and additional equipment for manufacturing counterfeit documents.

Police also found cash and safes full of counterfeit identity documents and credit cards.

“The forged documents seized were of a high quality, making them particularly difficult to detect without the use of specialized equipment,” the SQ said in its release. “This search follows an in-depth investigation and is aimed at dismantling an organized network of falsification of documents.”

The SQ said there have been no arrests to date, and that the investigation is ongoing.

An SQ spokesperson said the exact location of the laboratory is also not being released as it may compromise the investigation.