Major Townships-based drug ring shut down, 9 arrests made

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) announced Wednesday morning the conclusion of a week-long operation that shut down a major drug-trafficking network in the Eastern Townships.

The joint operation with Granby police, known as the Escouade régionale mixte Estrie, involved “around 20 officers,” according to a statement.

In total, nine people — seven men and two women — were arrested between June 8 and 15, police say. Those arrested range in age from 21 to 62 and will appear in court in Granby and Saint-Hyacinthe to face charges.

While based in Granby, the SQ described the network as also being active in “the surrounding areas of Cowansville, Bedford, Farnham, Lac-Brome and Waterloo.”

A total of six searches conducted in recent months led to the arrests in early June, police say. In total, the SQ says officers seized 430 grams of cocaine, more than 2,100 methamphetamine tablets, 75 grams of cannabis resin (which is used to produce the artificial drug “shatter”) and more than 220 grams of cannabis buds.

Four vehicles used in the trafficking ring, as well as nine long-guns, two hand-guns and ammunition, were also reportedly seized, and police reported the recovery “of over $340,000 Canadian currency, as well as over $1,000 in American currency.”

The SQ said the operation took place after a nearly year-long investigation first launched following a public tip received in June 2019.

According to their statement, investigators concluded the arrested suspects were “supplying and distributing narcotics in the region for the profit of criminal bikers.”