Nearly a dozen arrested in network of illegal alcohol trade in northern Quebec

Quebec provincial police saynearly a dozen people in the Montreal region and Nunavik are facing charges in connection with a network trafficking alcohol and drugs in 14 northern Quebec communities.

The Sret du Qubec(SQ)made the arrests Wednesday morningwith help from the Kativik Regional Police Forcethrough a project dubbed "Plutonium."

The investigation, which began in June 2019, found that individuals were buying alcohol in Montreal and then shipping it by mail to Nunavik to be resold illegally at a higher price eight to 12 times higher than the original cost.

Police say between 2016 and 2020, the network purchased nearly 43,000 bottles of alcohol and resold themfor an estimated total of more than $8 million.

The suspects are expected to face charges including fraud, receiving stolen goods, trafficking in prohibited substances, and conspiracy, among others.

The investigation was conducted with the collaboration ofRevenu Qubec, the SAQ and Canada Post inspectors.