More Montreal business owners facing extortion, police say – Montreal [Video]

Montreal police arrested 13 people in connection with a series of extortion crimes targeting the owners of two downtown Montreal restaurants earlier this week.

Eight men and two women between the ages of 28 and 44 are said to be involved in two independent crime organizations.

The extortion targeted the owners of two restaurants in the downtown Ville-Marie borough stemming back to last fall.

“The investigation wasn’t focused on the people who did the crimes, but on a higher level for the criminals,” said SPVM Cmdr. Pierre-Marc Houle.

Thirteen arrests were made following an extensive investigation that involved multiple jurisdictions including the Sureté du Québec.

“Fifteen warrants were executed mostly in Montreal and also in Laval and Châteauguay,” said Houle.

Montreal police say extortion is nothing new but there has been an uptick in this type of crime since the pandemic, which they say they are monitoring closely.

“We encourage business …