Montreal police say a major drug bust that began Wednesday morning in the Greater Montreal area and several regions of the province has led to a seizure of an “unprecedented scale.”
In a press release, the SPVM said more than 6.5 million amphetamine pills worth around $32.5 million were seized as some 280 officers from various local and provincial forces carried out 28 searches in Montreal and Laval as well as in the Laurentian, Montérégie, Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec regions.
Police said several warehouses were searched and that the targeted buildings were being used either as amphetamine production facilities or storage facilities and in some cases, both.
By Wednesday afternoon, eight people had been arrested and 21 firearms were seized in what police described as a dismantling operation.
On top of the 6.5 million tablets of amphetamine, officers also recovered 500 kilograms of methamphetamine powder, six pill press machines and more than $300,000 in cash.
The investigation into the alleged drug manufacturing and distribution network began in September 2021 and was carried out by the SPVM’s anti-gang squad, part of the organized crime division.
Francis Renaud, who heads the division believed the network managed to sell about $5-million worth of amphetamines per week across the province – roughly the equivalent of one million pills.
The dismantling of the network will come as a blow to criminal organizations, according to Renaud.
“To make money, organized crime uses criminal activities, including drug trafficking, fraud, human trafficking and pimping. By attacking the income of organized crime as we have succeeded in doing today, we are attacking the purchasing power of criminals, in particular, to acquire firearms,” he said.
A full report into the searches will be made public on Thursday.