Laval is one of nearly a dozen communities across Quebec where the Sûreté du Québec’s Contraband Investigation Service conducted a series of raids targeting a criminal organization alleged to be involved in the large-scale importation and distribution of flavored nicotine vaping products in Quebec where their sale is prohibited.
The operation was carried out in collaboration with members of the Tobacco ACCESS Section of the Laval and Gatineau police forces, as well as officers from the Montreal, Terrebonne, Roussillon and Longueuil police forces.
In total, 10 searches were conducted at residences in LaSalle, Candiac, Brossard and Dorval, while 7 were carried out at businesses in LaSalle, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Laval, Terrebonne, St-Lambert-de-Lauzon and Gatineau.
According the provincial police force, a total of 8 vehicles were also seized.
The SQ issued the following preliminary summary of the searches:
- More than 300,000 e-cigarettes and refills seized;
- 6,500 contraband cigars;
- More than 10,000 contraband cigarettes;
- Nearly $500,000 in Canadian currency;
- Valuables (jewelry, watches);
- Accounting documents.
In conjunction with the province’s Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), 13 bank accounts were also frozen with balances totaling over $1,800,000.
According to the SQ, the transactional website “vapme.fr” was also shut down.
“The network is suspected of fraud because it failed to declare its business income and laundered the proceeds of crime.” the SQ said in a statement, while noting that the sale of flavored e-cigarettes “is an emerging scheme linked to organized crime throughout Quebec.”
More than 120 police resources contributed to the operation, in addition to representatives from Santé Québec and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The SQ said the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) also contributed to the investigation.
