Montreal police arrest 13 suspected of extorting restaurant owners for money

CBC

a day ago

Montreal police say they've arrested 13 people suspected of using violence and intimidation to extort money from restaurateurs.
The three main suspects arrested Wednesday, men aged 25, 34, and 39, are believed to be connected to a series of extortion crimes targeting the owners of two restaurants in the Ville-Marie borough and their associates, according to a news release by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
In addition to the three main suspects, the other individuals arrested are eight men and two women, aged 28 to 44.
Some of the 13 suspects arrested will appear in court within the next 24 hours. The others will be released on a promise to appear, with strict conditions to follow.
The two restaurants targeted belong to the same owners.
These alleged crimes include one in February where a restaurant's glass facade was shot on Ste-Catherine Street West, near De Bleury Street. Another restaurant owned by the victims was also targeted, as was the residence of one of the co-owners, the SPVM says.
Along with the arrests, 15 search warrants were executed in Montreal, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Châteauguay and Laval. A total of 150 officers participated.
The SPVM investigation found two independent cells that allegedly attempted to extort the same restaurateurs, police say.
Members of these cells are also involved in other criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, the SPVM says. The searches conducted Wednesday resulted in the seizure of three firearms, half a kilogram of cocaine, half a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, thousands of speed pills and nearly $120,000 in cash.
"Today's operation demonstrates that when acts of intimidation against business owners are brought to our attention, the SPVM is able to deliver effective blows against the responsible criminals," said SPVM Cmdr. Pierre-Marc Houle in the news release.
"We have other ongoing investigations concerning similar incidents, and we are confident they will lead to additional arrests."
Dominique Tremblay, a spokeswoman for the Quebec restaurateurs association, said her organization has been collaborating with the SPVM and sending information to members about the situation — asking them to come forward if they hear anything or face extortion themselves.
"If they see something, hear something around them, it's important to communicate with police, give them the information so they can act," she said.
She said it is stressful for bar and restaurant owners who go through this, and sometimes they don't come forward about the extortion out of fear.
Luc Rabouin, mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough and chair of the city's executive committee, said his administration knew the investigation was underway, but wasn't given exact details.
"There's no place for these crimes here in Montreal," said Rabouin, who was chosen to replace Mayor Valérie Plante as leader of Projet Montréal. "And we will not tolerate anything like that right now and in the future."
Extortion not a new problem
Back in October 2024, Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher urged merchants and parents to work with police to help curb the increasing involvement of young teenagers in organized crime and a surge in extortion of downtown businesses.
This followed several suspected extortion attempts that are believed to be behind a spate of firebombings.
A that time, Francis Renaud, head of the Montreal police organized crime unit, told reporters that about 40 attempted extortion cases have come across his desk since the summer, primarily in the downtown area. He said all kinds of business are being targeted, including clean ones and those tied to organized crime.
Two years ago, in April 2023, a restaurant in Laval, Que., closed as a result of repeated firebombings and an extortion attempt.
The vandalism, which started happening after the restaurant refused to pay when a stranger offered it "protection," led to its insurance being revoked, Kevin Al-Sabek, the son of one the owners, said in an interview at the time.
Al-Sabek said the restaurant did manage to secure another insurer, but that happened past the landlord's deadline, voiding their lease agreement and forcing them to close. He decided not to change locations over fears the extortion would follow him to the new location.
Al-Sabek's closure came just a month after Montreal police arrested 19 people in connection to dozens of cases of violence and intimidation targeting local businesses.