Eight arrested in Montreal cocaine trafficking network bust

Several arrests are expected to be made on Wednesday morning in connection with an alleged inter-provincial cocaine trafficking network.

Eight people were arrested in Montreal on Wednesday morning in connection with an alleged inter-provincial cocaine trafficking network.

According to Montreal police (SPVM), searches were done in Montreal, the Laurentians and the Montérégie regions to target a network that allegedly “regularly sources cocaine in the Toronto area for resale in Quebec.”

The SPVM arrested four men and four women between the ages of 24 and 54 on pre-authorized warrants: Karim Chabbi, Catherine Trudel-Primeau, Jean-François Roberge, Manon Primeau, Mathieu Bouchard, Jennifer Devries, Michele Francesco Manicone and Julie Saint-Jacques-Lapointe.

All eight will be charged at the Montreal courthouse Wednesday.

Police are still searching for two suspects, Carlo Polcaro and Ilies Taibi, both 35 years old. Anyone with information is asked to contact their local police station or Info-Crime Montréal.

“Our criminal investigation revealed that the network used the Toronto-Montreal corridor to bring drugs into Quebec and then resell them at a higher price. Two members of the dismantled network allegedly played a central role in the supply, distribution, and coordination of trafficking activities,” said SPVM Organized Crime Section Chief Francis Renaud in a news release.

Nearly 50 officers from Montreal police, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and Saint-Jérôme police were involved in the raids.

The ongoing operation is part of a criminal investigation led by the anti-gang unit of the Montreal police organized crime department.

During searches carried out last April and May, police seized a total of 46.5 kilograms of cocaine, a firearm and more than $80,000 in cash.