A months-long investigation into the trafficking of stolen vehicles has led to an arrest in Gatineau.
Back on July 6, 2023, le Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) carried out an inspection at the Service Magic auto garage at 1040 rue Saint-Louis.
The owner of a vehicle stolen in Ottawa had tracked the vehicle to the location, as it was equipped with a geolocation device. Police arrived on scene and quickly located the stolen vehicle at the rear of the building.
At that point, officers noticed other vehicles on site, including sports utility vehicles that are particularly popular with organized car theft networks.
The SPVG used license plate and serial numbers determine several of the vehicles had recently been reported stolen in Quebec and Ontario.
In total, the police service found five vehicles reported stolen on site as well as one vehicle with an invalid identification number, leading police to believe it may have been altered.
Five of the six vehicles were towed to carry out assessments while the sixth was returned to its owner immediately.
The police investigation continued, leading to the recovery of eleven vehicles in total.
It’s also believed the garage was reselling stolen items, possibly to individuals with no knowledge of the thefts.
Following an extensive investigation, SPVG police officers arrested Abdelkader Dimia, 35, of Gatineau, on Wednesday, May 15.
Dimia faces the following charges:
- Twelve charges of possession of property obtained by crime
- A charge of trafficking in property obtained by crime
- Two charges of changing the identification number of a vehicle
- Three charges of possession of a motor vehicle with an obliterated identification number
- A charge of laundering proceeds of crime
- A charge of conspiracy
- Two charges of fraud: false pretense or false declaration
- A charge of theft
The investigation continues and further arrests are expected.