Montreal jewellery robberies were ordered, police allege, as about 10 arrested in raids

Montreal police say this year's string of smash-and-grab robberies at jewellery stores was ordered by people placing the jobs. The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal moved on Wednesday, November 11, arresting about 10 people and searching about 15 locations, including a downtown building that houses many jewellers. Police have not named the people arrested or published charges.

An operation aimed at whoever placed the orders

According to TVA Nouvelles, one search took place in a fifth-floor unit of the downtown building, with investigators carrying evidence out on Wednesday afternoon; the target was a business with two units on that floor, which police have not named. Noovo Info also reported that one group is believed to be behind most of this year's thefts. About 20 young people had already been arrested for carrying out the robberies themselves, aged 13 to 17. In October, police said about ten investigators were on the file and five other police forces had joined, with the stated goal of finding whoever was giving the orders. The allegations have not been tested in court, and every accused person is presumed innocent.

55 cases in ten months, more than three times the 2022 total

Police counted 55 thefts at jewellery stores on their territory between January 1 and October 31, 2026, including 34 smash and grabs; October alone added nine cases. By comparison, there were 15 such thefts in all of 2022.

How teenagers were recruited

Police say recruiters first approached teenagers inside video games such as Roblox and Minecraft, then moved the conversation to encrypted apps and offered small cash payments; Noovo reported that some were never paid, and that a teenager who tries to back out can see his family threatened. Commander Iad Hanna, who leads the SPVM's east-end project investigations, told Noovo Info the teenagers do not know each other: several of them answer a posted "contract", and a team is formed from whoever replies. Because the teenagers have no way to sell what they steal, the gold and stones travel upward to someone who has a buyer, so arresting a teenager alone could not break the network. Police also tied the timing to metal prices: gold has climbed sharply, so the metal in a showcase is worth more to a thief than it was.

Cases reported this year

Cases cited in the reporting include: on October 1 at 12:25 p.m., a car came through the front window of a jewellery store on Saint-Charles Boulevard in Kirkland while the owner was serving an elderly customer; a customer was hurt and nobody was arrested. On September 11 at midday, a store on Clark Street in Chinatown was robbed and five people were arrested 30 minutes later, aged 16 to 21, with the jewellery recovered. On October 8 in the afternoon, a store at Place Versailles was robbed and two teenagers, aged 14 and 15, were arrested after the getaway car hit another vehicle. On July 6 in the early hours, an SUV was driven into a storefront on Fleury Street in Ahuntsic-Cartierville and four people were arrested, the youngest 13.

Sources: TVA Nouvelles; Noovo Info; Global News.