Montreal police arrest 7 suspects with alleged ties to Italian Mafia

Montreal police arrested seven people who are believed to have ties to an Italian Mafia clan on Wednesday morning.

Six men, ages 34 to 59, and a 44-year-old woman were arrested, said the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). Around 40 officers were involved in the operation.

The arrests, which mark the final phase of the Americano Project, were made in the boroughs of LaSalle and Verdun, as well as in Brossard. 

"It's going to hurt traditional Italian organized crime in this area," Francis Renaud, head of the SPVM's organized crime unit, told reporters on Wednesday morning.

"We're used to seeing traditional Italian organized crime in the Saint-Léonard area … but in LaSalle, it's a well-hidden stronghold."

Who are the suspects

The seven individuals, whom Renaud believes to be the "most influential people" in LaSalle, operated under the radar, he said. They were very well-known by the LaSalle community and some of them owned businesses.

Large-scale drug trafficking of cocaine was their specialty, said Renaud, and their team would sell drugs to resellers. Their clients were from all over the province.

Renaud added that the individuals collaborated with other known criminal organizations, groups that would've previously been considered "enemies."

"In LaSalle, it's pretty special," said Renaud.

"The Italian organized crime [there] are not afraid to mix with other organized crime that we know, the bikers, the Irish, to make their business go on. And they're getting along. That's the special effect of LaSalle."

Various charges

The suspects will appear at the Montreal courthouse by the end of the day.

Five of them are facing charges of committing an offence for the benefit of a criminal organization, drug trafficking and possession of substances for the purpose of trafficking, according to the SPVM. 

Previous phases of the criminal investigation, which began in August 2023, led to the seizure in January and May 2024 of more than 32 kilograms of cocaine, over $2.2 million in cash, four kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 12 firearms and several other items of evidence, said the police. 

Three individuals who were previously arrested as part of the investigation have already appeared in court and were released. Renaud said they will appear again in court "probably with slightly more severe charges" than the initial charges they were facing.

He explained that Wednesday's operation included wiretaps, video surveillance and investigators working day and night for two years.

Renaud said "of course" the organization will find replacements for those arrested, which will force his unit to launch another investigation. 

"It's our job to monitor the intel and to see [who] is coming in to take the place and do the exact same thing again, and see you guys in a year or two," said Renaud with a smile.