Police Operation Targeting Aboriginal Organized Crime in Maniwaki: Twenty-Six Subjects Arrested

20 April 2006

Early this morning, the police officers attached to the Aboriginal Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (A-CFSEU) arrested 26 people involved in producing, trafficking in and exporting cannabis to the United States.

The investigation called "Project Concert" was initiated in August 2005 by the members of the A-CFSEU, a law enforcement unit composed of Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Sûreté du Québec and First Nations police officers. The goal of this investigation was to dismantle a criminal organization operating on the Kitigan Zibi Reserve, located south of Maniwaki, and in the Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides area.

As part of the investigation, 11 searches were conducted between September 21 and October 20, 2005, in Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and on the Kitigan Zibi Indian Reserve.

The following items were seized as a result of these searches:

- 1,200 cannabis plants

- 772 kg of cannabis

- 21 firearms and ammunition of various calibre

- Cannabis resin, cocaine and ecstasy

- Small amounts of money in Canadian and US currencies

- Equipment used to grow cannabis

- Equipment used to produce cannabis resin

- Several computers, a safe and documentary evidence

The persons charged in Projet Concert are:

- Hubert Whiteduck 40 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Natasha Ostrowski-Mitchell 27 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Wesley Coté 27 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Patrick Odjick 30 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Shannon Ferguson 29 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Randy Tolley 22 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Beau Tolley 25 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Samantha Brascoupé 26 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Lloyd Whiteduck 35 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Kevin Decoursay 30 years old Rapid Lake

- Ryan Mitchell 25 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Vincent Dupuis 26 years old Messines

- William Adams 36 years old St.Regis

- Pascal Belisle 27 years old Des Ruisseaux

- Michel Martin 40 years old Gatineau

- Michael Lépine 42 years old Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides

- Simone Petiquay 35 years old Ste-Agathe-des-Monts

- Richard Lépine 39 years old Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides

- John Horvath 42 years old Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides

- Gilbert Valade 43 years old Ste-Agathe-des-Monts

- Claude Lavallée 46 years old Laval

- Claude Blais 42 years old Lac-Nominique

- Michel Bordeleau 46 years old Ste-Adèle

- Dominique Vincent 34 years old Clova

- Adorianne Beaudoin 19 years old Kitigan Zibi

- Sylvain Lamoureux 38 years old Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix

The suspects will all appear in court this afternoon in Gatineau, Maniwaki and Saint-Jérôme to face a total of 126 counts of indictment for various drug and firearms-related charges.

List of charges:

- Conspiracy to produce cannabis

- Production of cannabis

- Conspiracy to traffic in cannabis

- Trafficking in cannabis

- Possession of cannabis

- Possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking

- Production of hashish

- Possession of hashish for the purpose of trafficking

- Conspiracy to export cannabis

- Exporting cannabis

- Possession of cannabis for the purpose of exporting

- Careless storage of a firearm

- Possession of non-registered firearms

- Careless storage of ammunition

- Unauthorized possession of a restricted firearm

- Possession of a firearm contrary to prohibition order.

As a reminder, the mission of the A-CFSEU is to lead a high-level fight against criminal organizations operating on Quebec's Aboriginal territories. Its mission is also to maintain social cohesion within Aboriginal communities, to identify the structure of crime cells and their ties with existing criminal organizations, and to investigate, pursue and dismantle Aboriginal criminal organizations that are detrimental to the interests of communities.

For further information: Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Communications Office, (514) 939-8308

Source: newswire

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