RCMP say officers are searching a residence in Montreal North as part of an investigation into a suspected human smuggling ring.
Police say one alleged smuggler and one migrant have been arrested, but did not say what charges they could be facing. The alleged smuggler was released on a promise to appear in court, while the migrant was turned over to the Canada Border Services Agency.
Authorities say the residence on Belleville Avenue housed migrants after they were smuggled into Canada from the United States, or before they crossed south into the U.S.
Police allege the residence was being used as a stash house where migrants hid after crossing illegally into Canada.
The RCMP say the operation is connected to an incident in the Noyan area in early June in which one alleged migrant smuggler was arrested.
Community groups that work with asylum seekers and migrants say government policies, including the closure of Roxham Road, have contributed to an increase in human smuggling.
“I would say since October 2024 we already saw an increase. However even more in the past couple weeks since they actually allowed the canceling of the TPS,” said Frantz André with the Action Committee for People Without Status.
Temporary Protected Status is a U.S. immigration benefit granted to people from certain countries considered unsafe to return to.
The RCMP in Quebec reported last month that one of their officers was injured by an alleged smuggler who was intercepted in a vehicle near the U.S. border with five migrants on board.
Four people were arrested and charged in August 2025 after RCMP and Quebec provincial police intercepted a cube truck carrying 44 foreign nationals near the U.S. border in Quebec.
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