About 350 police officers involved in Quebec drug raids; 36 arrested

[Lunar Loops]

This from Canada.com (http://www.canada.com/topics/news/na...b837c3&k=84947) :
About 350 police officers involved in Quebec drug raids; 36 arrested

Canadian Press

Published: Wednesday, June 21, 2006

MONTREAL (CP) - About 350 police officers carried out drug raids in Montreal, the Mohawk territory of Kanesatake and the Eastern Townships early Wednesday, arresting 36 people so far.
RCMP said the drug ring, believed to be linked to organized crime, had a network that allegedly exported marijuana and ecstasy weekly to the United States.
The Mounties also say the ring was allegedly involved in laundering at least $4 million US in the last eight months.
Those arrested face charges of conspiracy, gangsterism and money laundering.
RCMP, Quebec provincial police and officers from the Sherbrooke force and aboriginal police took part in the raids.

[The Doors]

Quebec woman charged as leader of drug ring

Last Updated Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:23:14 EDT

CBC News


A 48-year-old woman who is the alleged leader of a cross-border drug ring was among dozens charged Wednesday in early-morning raids in the Montreal area.
In all, 36 people have been charged, including Sharon Simon, of the Mohawk reserve of Kanesatake, who allegedly has ties with the Hells Angels.
"We are looking at an organization that was distributing and producing marijuana and ecstasy to be exported to the U.S.," says RCMP Cpl. Sylvain L'Heureux.
Police say they discovered several guns in Simon's vehicle, including an AK-47.
The drugs were shipped to the U.S. through Quebec's Eastern Townships, they say.
The police raids began just after sunrise in what is being called Operation Cleopatra.
The ring was being run out of Kanesatake, with drugs produced in the Montreal area, says L'Heureux.
He says drugs were then taken to the Eastern Townships where they were driven across the border in transport trucks.
Woman faces several charges
Simon has been charged with trafficking, conspiracy, money laundering and gangsterism.
L'Heureux says Simon is also allegedly involved in a multimillion-dollar money-laundering operation.
"She also has very close ties with Hells Angels motorcycle gangs from Montreal, Trois-Riviéres and Sherbrooke," L'Heureux alleges.
The RCMP is being criticized for going onto Kanestake territory to make the arrest.
L'Heureux maintains he gave the band council advance warning.
However, Kanestake Chief Stephen Bonspeil says he only found out when police vehicles "stormed" the community Wednesday morning.



source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...rug-raids.html



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SWIM doesn't live too far from there, and where SWIM lives, he lives right next to a Natives reserve too. It really doesn't shock anyone that such an operation or such an arrests came from one of the Native reserves.



This is off topic, but SWIM really doesn't like dealing with the natives. In general they are pretty rude people and no one stands up to them and they get away with a lot of illegal activities. This one just got busted because it went out of proportion.