The seizure has left several people who lived at the Motel St-Jacques on a permanent or semi-permanent basis without a home in the midst of a housing crunch. The room motel on a dead-end street off St-Jacques St. Desroches said he remembers responding to calls there when he was a patrol officer 25 years ago, but the situation has grown worse. Police interventions increased after the pandemic, accompanied by a rise in drug overdoses, he said. The number of calls to police from the motel rose to in from 66 in , police said in a court document, and has risen yearly since then, reaching in Police have been called to the motel 94 times this year.
Cases investigated at the motel have involved drugs, Desroches said, but also guns and sexual exploitation. In March, police launched a proceeds of crime investigation targeting the building, Desroches said. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way.
If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Today's One Read will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. On June 20, one day after the order was issued, police raided the building and served the court order. Desroches said while members of the SWAT team were present, police also brought social workers to help residents who have mental health issues, problems with drug abuse or have been victims of sexual exploitation.
In an affidavit submitted to the court by police, Det. The third operation took a different approach, with the fake pimp telling Patel he needed a room for a friend who was hiding from police, which was given to him without issue. According to evidence from an informant included in the affidavit, Patel stored drugs at the reception desk for dealers and would turn off the cameras when people wanted to beat someone up in another room.
Police say the investigation is continuing. Desroches said two people were arrested during the June 20 raid and were released on a promise to appear. A spokesperson for the regional health authority, the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, said the agency met with a dozen people after the police operation to help them find new places to live.
