Trudeau Airport

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Montreal police (SPVM) arrested six suspects last week in connection with a car theft ring following an investigation that was launched last May after officers recovered 19 motor vehicles that were reported stolen. The vehicles were returned to their owners once identified.

The investigation began with information related to a rise in vehicle thefts at Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Airport in Dorval. The network was also active in multiple sectors of the Greater Montreal Area (GMA). The suspects allegedly took charge of all stages of the process, from theft to export. The targeted vehicles were mainly Toyota, Lexus and Jeep models. The suspects allegedly performed dangerous manoeuvres to protect their stolen merchandise, which at times put civilians and police officers at risk. Some thirty vehicles were stolen throughout the three-month investigation.

The arrests took place in Montreal, Brossard and Longueuil with the collaboration of some fifty officers.

The six suspects apprehended are all men in their early twenties. Two of them were already detained in connection with charges in other cases. The other four were arraigned at the Montreal courthouse last Thursday. In total, 176 charges were filed against the members of the group. In addition to several breaches of court-ordered conditions, charges include theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy, trafficking of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, possession of a master key, recycling of proceeds of a crime, driving without a license and reckless driving.

The various operations carried out by the SPVM in cracking down on car theft are producing concrete results. Since the start of 2024, a 30% drop in vehicle thefts was noted in the GMA. For the same period from January to July in 2023, 6,914 vehicles were reported stolen. This figure is 4,917 for 2024. Over 500 arrests in connection to vehicle theft were made in 2023 and the number continues to climb in 2024. n