FREDERIC SERRE
The 1510 West

Three West Island municipalities – Pointe Claire, Dorval and Lachine – were among five areas in the Greater Montreal region hit by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in early-morning raids on Jan. 15 targeting alleged fraud and money-laundering activities related to illicit car sales.

RCMP spokesperson Martina Pillarova said armed RCMP officers and investigators with the Canada Revenue Agency swooped in on five locations shortly before 6 a.m. Jan. 15 as part of a series of raids launched simultaneously in the West Island, as well as in Anjou and Île Perrot, where two suspects were arrested.

According to Pillarova, the investigation is continuing as officers sort through the evidence. She said the RCMP-led investigation includes agents with the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), an intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing squad whose mandate is to facilitate the detection, prevention and deterrence of money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities, while ensuring the protection of personal information under its control.

Pillarova said the suspects targeted by the raids are allegedly involved in money laundering and sales tax fraud in the automotive sales sector. She said more arrests are likely as the investigation continues. She would not offer additional information about which locations in the West Island were targeted.