Street gang members are renting apartments on Airbnb to hide guns, money and people of interest, a new phenomenon worrying Montreal police officers.
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“We saw this more and more often in the early days of the pandemic,” a police source explains. The bars were closed so they brought the bars to them by renting accommodation and inviting their friends over. »
Difficult to understand
Seeing that this new approach adds complexity to the police’s job, gang members make it a habit.
Photo provided by a journalistic source
The short-term Airbnb was upside down when the police came by.
“They’re constantly changing places, so it’s difficult to track them,” says another source. They’re there for a week, then they go somewhere else. »
In addition to serving as hideouts for them, these shelters are often rented in downtown and Old Montreal near several bars.
“Don’t forget that these are primarily young people,” laughs a source.
In early February, the Tactical Intervention Group (GTI) intervened on behalf of a group of youths believed to be armed at a condo on Peel Street in the Griffintown neighborhood.
Photo provided by a journalistic source
One of the loaded pistols confiscated by the police.
Landing on the scene, they encountered a gang of criminals from the street gang STL, based in Saint-Léonard, partying with drugs and alcohol. One of the objectives of the investigation was comfortably installed on the couch. His Blazer Luger pistol was loaded and hidden under the pillow he was sitting on.
Photo provided by a journalistic source
alcohol and guns
Photo provided by a journalistic source
What appears to be a device used to clone car keys has been discovered inside a backpack at the Airbnb.
According to photos obtained by Le Journal, more than twenty bottles of alcohol, bags of cannabis buds, a device for cloning smart car keys, residue of white powder and other weapons and ammunition were found in the Airbnb rented unit.
Photo provided by a journalistic source
Finally, five people were arrested that evening.
Last May, police intervened over a similar story in the same neighborhood. Several ammunition and weapons were confiscated in the accommodation rented on Airbnb. Five people were also arrested.
Despite the fact that the pandemic is behind us and all facilities are open again, this trend does not seem to want to fade and is a growing concern for organized crime investigators.
-With Michael Nguyen
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