Seven Quebecers, including two minors, were arrested by Peel Regional Police on January 4 in Mississauga, Ontario. They were in the city temporarily to try to steal vehicles, authorities said.
Police conducted searches at the suspects' location. All were charged, among other things, with being in possession of a car master key that would be useful in stealing a vehicle.
According to a Radio-Canada compilation of press releases from various Ontario police forces, these seven arrests are in addition to those of dozens of Quebecers in the last 12 months.
“It seems to me to be a trend that has been repeating itself for several months, I would even say almost a year,” explains Jacques Lamontagne, head of Quebec and Atlantic polls at the Équité Association.
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On November 28, Ontario Provincial Police arrested a Quebec man in Cochrane, northern Ontario, while he was driving a vehicle stolen from Calgary. Shortly thereafter, an Albertan was arrested for driving another vehicle that had been stolen in Calgary in the same region.
Photo: Ontario Provincial Police
Criminal groups send people from Quebec to Ontario and even Alberta […] Stealing vehicles and bringing them back to Quebec
Both provinces are targeted by the presence of some of the most popular vehicles for thieves, such as Lexus SUVs and Dodge Ram pickups. The destination of the stolen vehicles in Quebec can be explained by the fact that the port of Montreal is a transshipment point for the export of stolen cars.
For example, after 8 p.m. on December 7, a resident of Georgetown, northwest of Toronto, called Halton Regional Police when he caught someone trying to steal his Dodge Ram parked in his yard. According to Halton Regional Police, the suspect fled into a waiting vehicle as the homeowner exited his home.
A Montrealer and a Laval resident were arrested in this case.
Possible involvement of organized crime
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York Regional Police's Project Majestic has helped recover dozens of stolen vehicles. Searches were conducted in the Greater Toronto Area and in Brossard, Quebec.
Photo: York Regional Police
When we talk about vehicle theft, we are now talking about organized crime, said Jacques Lamontagne.
For example, a joint investigation by York Regional Police and the Canada Border Services Agency late last year resulted in the recovery of 25 cars worth more than $2 million. Leaders from both services emphasized the importance of combating organized crime in car thefts.
According to Jacques Lamontagne, the modus operandi involves a criminal organization asking young people to locate wanted models, steal them and then bring them back. It is not necessarily the same people who take part in all phases.
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Toronto's streets, like Lawrence Avenue, are full of luxury vehicles that are popular with thieves. (archive photo)
Photo: CBC
In a video posted on YouTube (New Window) in December as part of Operation Auto Guard, York Regional Police describe the same ploy in their investigation of two Quebec groups.
In this video, Detective Jason Weishar explains that thieves search for vehicle models during the day and return to the target vehicles early in the morning, usually between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. They will steal several vehicles each night and ship these vehicles back to the province of Quebec where they will be packed into containers and sent elsewhere.