An organized crime network involving stolen-vehicle trafficking from New Brunswick has been dismantled.
Several police agencies, including the Sûreté du Québec, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Montreal Police, assisted in the investigation into the network believed to be affiliated with the Hells Angels.
According to a news release from Montreal Police, vehicles were allegedly stolen in New Brunswick and then transported to Quebec, where they were modified in a garage used for cosmetic work. Modifications reportedly included altering or replacing serial numbers, and then the vehicles were introduced to the legal market, mostly through auctions, or illegally resold to individuals.
Twenty-one stolen vehicles were recovered in Quebec, Ontario and the United States, with an estimated value of over $1.7 million.
Police believe Jeep brand vehicles were the primary targets.
More than 100 officers were involved in the operation on Wednesday in the municipalities of Sainte-Sophie, Terrebonne, Lachute, Joliette, Mascouche, Saint-Michel and Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.
Police say searches also resulted in the seizure of approximately $100,000 in cash, two devices used to manufacture counterfeit serial numbers, several items bearing the Hells Angels logo, and other evidence
Six men and one woman, between the ages of 23 and 56, were arrested, and police say there could be even more arrests.
One individual is believed to be a member of the Hells Angels, and another is linked to the Jesters Northside supporters’ club.
