The husband of a former Laval police officer was sentenced Tuesday to 45 months in jail for being caught with more than 20 kilos of cocaine and for his affiliation with a criminal organization that allegedly imported nearly a ton of cocaine into Quebec.
• Also read: Nearly a ton of cocaine in Quebec: discover the behind the scenes of a drug trafficking network
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“This is not a minor case involving drug trafficking. On the contrary, the quantities are impressive,” said Judge Marc-André Dagenais at the Laval courthouse.
“The sentence that I am also about to impose on the gentleman is also a reflection of the subjective seriousness of this offence and the particular circumstances of it,” the magistrate added.
In the moments that followed, Alex Lacasse was taken into custody, under the eyes of his partner, who until very recently was a police officer in Laval.
It comes more than three years after a source passed crucial information about him to police, which may have triggered a project called Auxo.
As part of the investigation dubbed Auxo, searches led to the seizure of 170,000 opioid pills, dozens of kilos of cocaine and crystal methamphetamine worth more than $3.4 million on the black market and $1.3 million in cash. These narcotics and this AR-15 assault rifle were recovered in June 2022 by the police.
Photo provided by the SPVM
The investigation later led to numerous arrests and seizures within a criminal organization that operated a lucrative drug trafficking corridor between Montreal and Toronto.
Approximately 870 kg of cocaine were transported to Quebec by the criminal organization during the police investigation.
It was in this building on Pothier Avenue in Montreal that the criminal organization possibly led by Emmanuel Puthyra Roy (inset) hid its loot.
Editing Le Journal / Joël Lemay, QMI Agency and archives
Modus operandi
As for Lacasse, he was traced thanks to certain very precise clues transmitted by the informant on the vehicles he used to do his dirty work as well as on his physical appearance.
According to court documents, the 39-year-old was seen engaging in a modus operandi associated with drug trafficking: cars following each other in convoy, short meetings, frequent travel, changing vehicles and exchanging bags.
Physical surveillance revealed that he was using a woman’s residence to store the drugs.
The police collected several envelopes containing cocaine and scales.
“The average citizen does not have 23 kilos of cocaine in his possession,” Crown prosecutor Karine Cordeau insisted in court.
Suspension, then resignation
When Lacasse was arrested in November 2022, it was revealed that his partner was a police officer, much to the dismay of his colleagues.
When the information reached her employer, she was suspended and an administrative investigation was launched.
Laval police declined to comment on the Newspaperbut confirmed that the officer had resigned in February. No criminal charges have been filed against her.
Alex Lacasse and his partner, upon their arrival at the Laval courthouse, Tuesday.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
Alex Lacasse, who is a new father, admitted his guilt earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Judge Dagenais ordered that it be registered in the National Genetic Data Bank (BNDG).
The latter makes it easier for investigators across Canada to work on all sorts of cases, particularly to identify the perpetrator of a crime where there are no suspects.
Lacasse will also be banned from owning a weapon for 10 years.
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