Posted at 8:00 am
More than 50 stolen vehicles were found in containers at the port of Montreal on Monday. This major seizure underscores the meteoric rise in thefts in the metropolis and exports to other countries.
While an average of 810 vehicles are stolen every month in the territory of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), in April, between the 1st and the 9th inclusive, it is already 303 in just nine days.
On Monday, SPVM investigators working with the Canada Border Services Agency and the Équité Association found 53 stolen vehicles stacked in 25 containers at the Port of Montreal. This is the largest seizure at port facilities since the beginning of the year.
“It’s a national scourge,” says Commander Yannick Desmarais of the North Criminal Investigations Section and in charge of auto theft.
“This year’s trend shows that we should beat last year’s numbers,” adds the man who is also co-director of the Integrated Vehicle Theft Team.
La Presse met with Commander Desmarais and his counterpart, Commander Dominic Monchamp of General Investigations in the eastern region on Monday morning to discuss the vehicle theft problem.
The two officials explained that vehicle thefts have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in the supply of new and used vehicles, not just in North America but around the world.
While in the not too distant future vehicles were being stolen to be disassembled or cloned, many are now being stolen to be exported to countries where they sell for twice or three times as much.
The Port of Montreal is a strategic facility for export to Europe or Africa.
Stolen vehicles do not end up in the port because the thieves’ rings are supported by corrupt employees, but because they have registered companies with which they counterfeit shipments of goods.
vehicles for weapons
In Quebec, these exports are mainly organized by organized crime groups from the Middle East (PMO), and many members of emerging street gangs steal the vehicles and have found a new niche.
“Indeed, our aspiring gang members, we see them translating to other provinces. It’s an interprovincial issue. The opportunity is there, the demand is there,” explains Commander Desmarais.
“What we’re also seeing are local young people, underprivileged people, lured by the lure of profit and brought into Ontario to steal vehicles. But if they steal the first one, their arm gets caught in the gearbox, they are threatened and they no longer have control over what they do,” adds his colleague Monchamp.
Theft of a single vehicle can net a young gang member over $3,000.
In an interview with Paul Arcand on 98.5 a few days ago, SPVM head Fady Dagher said vehicle thefts are used to buy firearms, among other things.
To date, vehicle thieves have never been arrested with guns. But now it’s a big trend.
Commander Dominic Monchamp, General Investigations of the Eastern Region
“Some of our vehicle thieves are armed. We cannot quantify it, but it is not anecdotal,” confirms Commander Monchamp.
Everyone pays the price
Among the 53 stolen vehicles discovered Monday at the port of Montreal are Toyota RAV4s and Highlanders, Dodge Rams, Jeep Cherokees and Wranglers, Lexus RX 350s, a Range Rover and a Chevrolet Tahoe.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY SPVM/PHOTOMONTAGE LA PRESSE
Using a freight elevator, investigators from the SPVM’s East Region, assisted by Border Patrol agents, pulled a stolen van from one of the containers in a building in the Port of Montreal.
Thirty-six were stolen in another province, almost all in Ontario, and seventeen in Quebec, including ten in Montreal.
Commanders Desmarais and Monchamp urge vehicle owners to equip themselves with tools to prevent theft.
The three most important are installing a tracking system upon purchase, installing a bar to lock the steering wheel, and using a padlock on the OBD socket to prevent the thief from gaining access to the on-board computer.
“Today it is not enough to close our doors,” said Commander Monchamp.
“We are currently restructuring the police services and partners. We’re already working on that, but we’ll work even harder, particularly because of the links we’re increasingly making with armed force. But the police aren’t the only ones to take action. Everyone pays the price. Everyone needs to get involved and take responsibility,” concludes Commander Desmarais.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514.285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the La Presse mailing address.
Vehicle theft in Montreal
2022: 9500
2021: 6500
2020: 4700
Stolen vehicles seized in Montreal
2022: 1031
2021: 1006
2020: 800
Port of Montreal in 2023
251 confiscated vehicles:
- 76%: Stolen in Ontario
- 11%: stolen in Montreal
- 12%: stolen elsewhere in Quebec
- 1%: other
2022 Report of the Integrated Vehicle Theft Team
(SPVM, SQ, SPAL, Terrebonne Police, RCMP)
- 47 investigation files
- 187 open containers
- 318 vehicles confiscated
- 28 arrests
- $343,000 seized