Montreal Mounties bust a major cocaine import scheme

This article was last updated on May 25, 2022

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Montréal, February 4, 2015 – Today, a major traditional organized crime cell was dismantled by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). Seventeen individuals face charges mainly related to cocaine trafficking. The objective of this well-structured network was to control drug trafficking in the greater Montréal area as well as the Atlantic Provinces. The arrests were made in the greater Montréal area. This is the second phase of a large investigation initiated in 2010.

The investigators targeted the organization’s main leaders and key players forming the Silvano cell. This cell was linked to the Bastone and De Vito cells that were dismantled in a round-up conducted on June 12, 2014 Opens in a new window.

Sophisticated Importation Scheme

One of the cocaine seizures made in the course of the investigation revealed that the network used an unusual method to smuggle drugs into the country by mixing the cocaine with asphalt powder. This highly technical and sophisticated process consists in concealing the drugs using molecular docking. One of the accused, considered as the chemist of the group, was responsible for extracting the cocaine from the legitimate substance.

The investigation showed that the group dealt in large quantities of cocaine.

The Accused

The accused face a number of charges, including gangsterism and drug importation, trafficking and possession. They are:

• Giuseppe Arcoraci, 49, Lasalle
• Davide Barberio, 35, Rivière-des-Prairies
• Antonio Bastone, 52, Saint-Jean-de-Matha
• Roberto Bastone, 42, Laval
• WANTED – Mathieu Bouchard, 37, Unknown address
• Jocelyne Daoust, 58, Blainville
• WANTED – Mike Di Battista, 39, Unknown address
• Alain Duhamel, 58, Blainville
• Sébastien Flocari, 37, Longueuil
• Steven Fracas, 30, Incarcerated
• Mona Hrtschan, 50, Unknown address
• Artur Klodkowski, 38, Incarcerated
• Stéphan Parent, 47, Incarcerated
• Pasquale Silvano, 53, Laval-des-Rapides
• Patrizio Silvano, 50, Laval-des-Rapides
• Luigi Simeone, 44, Montréal
• Jenica Teleu, 56, Laval-des-Rapides

They should appear in court in Montréal today by videoconference.

WANTED

The investigation was conducted in partnership with the Sûreté du Québec, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, the Service de police de la Ville de Laval, Canada Border Services Agency and Canada Revenue Agency.