The RCMP says it has filed charges against two individuals, one of whom is from Laval, who allegedly made illegal monetary transactions totaling more than $20 million.
Said Aimeur, 55, of Laval, and Nesreddine Atoui, 58, of Montreal, allegedly used a scheme to collect and move funds clandestinely from Canada to Algeria, mainly via China, according to the RCMP.
The investigation by the federal police force was conducted by Integrated Proceeds of Crime (IPOC), a federal public safety ministry unit, focusing on a 13-month period.
It began in December 2021, says the RCMP, when IPOC received information from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC), a federal government financial intelligence unit, related to suspicious banking transaction statements.
“The two men are each facing a charge under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act for operating an unregistered money services business,” the RCMP says in a statement.
According to the force, they face imprisonment for up to five years and/or a fine of up to $500,000. They are scheduled to make a first appearance at the Montreal courthouse on December 1.
