Quebec police bust sophisticated forged documents operation, arrest two

By Canadian Press on February 17, 2026.

MONTREAL — Quebec provincial police say they’ve made a pair of arrests in what they are calling a sophisticated counterfeit ID and credit card operation.

The force’s economic crimes division says two men ages 34 and 42 face charges of production of counterfeit documents and identity theft.

They were expected to appear virtually at the courthouse in Joliette, Que., northeast of Montreal.

The arrests come after a March 2025 raid by provincial police on a clandestine document production lab on Chabanel Street in Montreal.

At the time, police seized 1,000 forged documents and the equipment required to make them.

Police say items seized included driver’s licences, Canadian residency cards, Quebec health insurance cards, debit and credit cards, and social insurance cards.

Authorities say the forged documents were high quality and difficult to detect without the use of specialized equipment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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