The joint task force of the Sûreté du Québec and the Nunavik Police Service perform first phase of operation against bootlegging
Since June 2024, an investigative team from the Sûreté du Québec specialized in alcohol bootlegging and illegal cannabis sales were working with the Nunavik Integrated Investigation Team on trafficking activities. These investigators were inquiring on criminalized individuals operating a sales and distribution network of alcohol and hard drugs (crack cocaine). The network was using mules (Inuit individuals) to smuggle illegal substances by air from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport to various Nunavik northern villages.
The first phase of this operation executed on September 19 resulted in 3 seizures in private homes and 2 in vehicles in the Montreal areas. During this seizures, 3 persons were interrogated and released with an appearance notice. The suspects are a 24 and 30-year-old men and a 37-year-old woman.
While investigating, the officers searched the Inuit mules’ baggage heading to Nunavik.
These searches allowed the seizure of
- 19 bottles of Alcohol for an amount of 19,68 liters
- 382,5 grams of crack cocaine
- 2,43 grams of cocaine
- 143,19 grams of cannabis
- 19 cigars
- 5 cellular phones
- 6 prepaid credit cards and We Card
- $916 in Canadian dollars
- $36 in US dollars
- Various equipment used for drug trafficking