June 10 – A massive police operation took place in and around Laval Wednesday morning to dismantle a network of car thieves with a penchant for Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles. The investigation began in February and ultimately linked ten people to 35 car thefts, with a total value of about $875,000.
More than 100 officers from Laval, Boisbriand, St. Eustache, Montreal, St. Esprit and St. Joseph du Lac executed a dozen search warrants on homes, a recycling centre, three industrial locations and four vehicles. Ten arrests were made initially and more are expected. During the raids, police also seized drugs, unidentified car parts, 11 vehicles, three motorcycles, three snowmobiles, one all-terrain vehicle and $1,000 in cash. They expect the total value of items seized could reach as high as $2M.
Laval police directed the investigation with the assistance of the Sûrete du Quebec and agents from the Canada Insurance Bureau.