Cynthia Abraham
Slowing Down Speedsters
June 7-13 – All of the police forces throughout the province are participating in a week-long campaign aimed at reducing speeding on the roads. Officers in Laval will be keeping an eye out for drivers with a heavy foot during this week. Anyone caught speeding will face a heavy fine.
Speeding remains the number one cause of most accidents involving deaths and injuries on the road.
Repercussion Takes Shape, Affranchir Gets Results
June 5 – After the brazen murder of Salavtore Scoppa that occurred at the Laval Sheraton last month, Laval police initiated project Repercussion, aimed specifically at targeting organized crime operations.
Last week, Operation Affranchir mobilised 235 officers who served 20 warrants in 12 cities including Laval, Montreal, Terrebonne, Saint-Lin- Laurentides, Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Saint-Eustache and Sainte-Adèle. The raids targeted a drug network responsible for the production, distribution and exportation of large quantities of synthetic drugs.
The investigation began in 2018 when Canadian border agents seized 200 packages sent from Laval that contained 200,000 counterfeit Xanax pills, worth more than $560,000. The packages were headed for the United States, England, and Australia.
All told, the searches yielded:
- The arrest of 14 individuals,
- The seizure of nearly 1 kg of cocaine, one ounce of crack, and 19 kg of methamphetamine powder (capable of producing 400,000 pills)
- 23,000 pills
- One industrial pill press, capable of producing 40,000 pills per hour, and one cocaine press
- 8 firearms, 2 assault rifles, a .12 gauge shotgun, a bullet-proof vest, a silencer, and other weapons,
- $30,000 cash.
Child Knew Her Kidnapper
June 4 – A 54-year-old woman from Beloeil was arrested when police found a missing 8-year-old girl handcuffed in the back of the woman’s car.
After the school reported the child’s absence to her mother, she immediately called for police help.
Authorities reacted quickly. By working jointly with the Régie intermunicipal police of Richelieu-Saint-Laurent, officers were able to rapidly locate and apprehend the suspect.
The girl from Vimont had been missing for approximately ninety minutes. She was otherwise unharmed.
The kidnapper was known to the child, and had approached her in a vehicle on the way to school that morning.
The woman is facing multiple charges including kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and disguise with intent.
Cycling Cops Raise $45K for Opération Enfant Soleil
June 3 – After pedaling more than 1000 km over six days, cyclists who took part in the Laval police fundraiser for Operation Enfant Soleil were able to present the non-profit organization with a cheque for $45,000.
Sixteen officers took part in this year’s 22nd annual fundraiser for Opération Enfant Soleil.
The cycling tour has raised more than $1.6 million since its creation in 1997, helping support intervention for child victims of violence and therapeutic centres for adolescents living with drug problems.
