One arrest after police raids in Kanesatake
File photo
A 45-year-old man was arrested in Kanesatake on June 17 following a collaborative police raid targeting trafficking of illegal firearms in Kanesatake, Oka and Mascouche, according to the Surete du Quebec (SQ).
The raid resulted in a seizure of 13 firearms, high-capacity guns, ammunition, cocaine, opioids, a bulletproof vest, and more than $20,000 in cash, according to a SQ press release.
Three people were arrested with “charges related to the unauthorized possession and trafficking of firearms, as well as possession of substances for the purpose of trafficking,” reads the SQ press release.
The operation involved the SQ, Montreal Police Service, the Kahnawake Peacekeepers and the Integrated Firearms Trafficking Team, whose members are from the SQ, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Montreal Police Service.
Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS) did not have any knowledge of the raids until they happened, said coordinator Kane Montour. Once the police informed the KPS the raid was happening, the KPS positioned themselves near the raids to inform community members and monitor the operation.
“We were informing community members and assuring them that everything’s safe and they’re not targeting businesses or the schools or anything like that. I think that that plays an important role,” said Montour. “When the community is not informed of what’s going on and things are left for speculation, that’s when all the drama starts.”
A June 17 Mohawk Council of Kanesatake Facebook post reads: “Kanehsatake Security assisted in securing the community during the operation so it could be safely carried out. This incident shows once again the crucial need for public security in Kanehsatà:ke to be properly funded in order to better protect our community on the long-term. We are pursuing every effort to do so, and will keep updating the community on progress made.”
The three people arrested will appear at the Saint Jerome courthouse.
Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
