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Police at Station 33 in Park Extension believe they have stopped local drug dealing operations from spreading out of control, after conducting a raid on a Champagneur Street residence recently which resulted in the seizure of three kilos of heroin, two kilos of marijuana, an unspecified amount of cocaine, five firearms, and $690,000 in cash. Briefing residents on the raid during a public meeting on security issues that took place at the William-Hingston Centre on June 18, Commander André-Guy Lamothe said Champagneur residents played a crucial in the operation by providing police with information.
Sent away
"We validate all information and work with it and it gets results," he said. "In just a few days we succeeded in completing this nice operation, which resulted in the dismantling of that dealer. Given the amount of money and of drugs involved, we think this was a fairly big dealer in the area. I can promise you that this guy has disappeared from the scene for a good stretch of time, and a part of his money will be coming back to the government."
Crime down
According to Lamothe, some of the latest statistics show violent crime is down on Montreal Island. He said even attempted murders, which are often linked to street gangs, are down 30 per cent from last year. The was an overall decline of 25 per cent in the first five months this year. "Locally, there's also a decline," he said. Thefts from persons and break-ins to cars were also comparatively low. He said some of the crimes might be related to persons who are drug users and have to steal in order to obtain their fix.
New police unit
Lamothe also touched upon the creation by the police force recently of a new unit known as the Groupe Éclipse. The unit strengthens coordination between the various departments in the police force, and specifically with regards to activity by street gangs, drugs and criminal activities taking place over the Internet. Éclipse is made up of 40 officers and four sergeants. "It's a permanent team," said Lamothe. "It's good for us, but also for the citizens." The unit is supposed to receive a boost in the fall when 20 investigators join the team.
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