The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) disclosed that a raid on a Montreal laboratory on July 8 seized more than 250 items used to produce counterfeit identity documents, including passport covers, bank‑card blanks, laminators and printers. The equipment was described as “very sophisticated, permitting the manufacture of high‑quality documents.”
Documents the lab could forge
- Passports for Canada, France, Switzerland, Czechia and Italy
- Driver’s licences for six Canadian provinces and for Florida, USA
- Birth certificates
- Firearms acquisition licences
- Quebec health‑insurance cards
One individual was arrested and released on a summons; the SQ listed four possible offences, such as forgery, trafficking in counterfeit documents and laundering proceeds of crime. Two vehicles were seized as proceeds of crime, and investigators are pursuing funds held in a bank account.
Earlier SQ operation
On March 21 2025, the SQ raided a separate document‑manufacturing site on rue Chabanel Ouest in Ahuntsic‑Cartierville, recovering close to 1,000 forged identity documents, including Canadian residence cards and Quebec health‑insurance cards. Three men were arrested, appeared at the Joliette courthouse, and faced charges for producing forged documents and possessing others’ identifying information. La Presse reported that the network may have used up to 2,400 real identities. The SQ has not confirmed whether the July and March operations are linked.
Provincial vs. federal involvement
Although passports are a federal responsibility, the SQ’s announcement listed only municipal and provincial partners: the Montreal and Gatineau police forces, and Quebec’s forensic science and legal medicine laboratory. Neither the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) nor the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) were mentioned.
In contrast, federal agencies have pursued related cases. In March, the RCMP charged three men—two of them Montreal residents—after CBSA officers discovered six forged Canadian passports and document‑production equipment at the Peace Bridge crossing in Fort Erie, Ontario.
Wider context
- In June, Canada’s immigration department began suspending citizenship certificates issued under the new descent rules, citing evidentiary standards rather than fraud allegations.
- A Malaysian syndicate broken up in April was reported to have sold counterfeit Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) stickers for roughly US $2,530 each to Chinese nationals seeking credibility for U.S. visa applications.
The SQ indicated it will contact every individual whose stolen identity it can trace, urging them to protect their personal data.
Source article: www.imidaily.com
