Law enforcers devise innovative methods to tackle crime

In the heart of August 2024, Jack Shehata, a casual, unsuspecting man, blows out the candles on his birthday cake, oblivious to the secret admirer who sent him a card that read: "Happy birthday! Let's celebrate at the shisha bar. Signed, Steady." Steady, another man who met his end a year prior, had been gunned down outside a shisha bar in Montreal after the name "Justice Owusu Tajudeen" was uttered as a token of friendship.

A few months earlier, on November 2, 2023, Felix Tremblay, a shifty character with a knack for trouble, was picked up by the cops for vehicle theft and receiving stolen goods. As he cooled his heels in the cells of the East Operational Centre of the Montreal Police Service, Felix struck up a friendship with a fellow inmate. Casually deflecting questions about the appeal of Bordeaux, the Montreal Detention Centre nickname, Felix alluded to his eagerness to go there "for the quality of the beds."

But a cozy cell wasn't in Felix's immediate future. He was far from being sentenced to serve time in the Bordeaux. Instead, he managed to skate out on bail, but continued to maintain contact with his new buddy. Unbeknownst to Felix, his jailhouse confidant was none other than AI-48 326, an undercover agent tasked with gathering intel on the unfolding narrative of a massive investigation code-named Mécano.

Mécano was a large-scale operation aimed at solving the murders of Noël Garcia-Frias, Justice Owusu Tajudeen, and Christopher Shawn Jean Vilsaint – three victims ensnared in the bloody whirlwind of a vicious gang conflict tearing apart Montreal and Laval. The first pair of victims fell in the scorching heat of 2023, while Vilsaint met his grim end in the damp, cool embrace of spring 2024.

The suspects, a ruthless and merciless bunch, weren't above exploiting the power of music to further their nefarious deeds. Some of the perpetrators were actively involved in rap videos, which made them easy targets for the cyber-investigation team of the SPVM. The team crafted a series of cleverly conceived profiles across various social media platforms that kept a watchful eye on the hip-hop groups rooted in the street gangs of Montreal and Laval.

These online profiles were used to create posts reminiscing the anniversaries of the murders of Garcia-Frias and Jean Vilsaint. To up the ante, the cops even established false YouTube profiles that dropped cryptic comments on a suspect's videos, subtly hinting at the murders of Garcia-Frias.

After making several phone calls via a web app that displayed "GoFundMe Federal" – a nod to Tajudeen's infamous alias – the investigation team made four of the suspects squirm under the weight of their guilt.

The tech-savvy investigators were nothing if not thorough. They combed through every corner of cyberspace in search of clues, sniffing out suspicious activity like bloodhounds on the hunt. Their tireless efforts paid off when they unearthed a GPS device concealed under Garcia-Frias' vehicle – a grim and chilling reminder of the predators lurking in the shadows.

Armed with the insights culled from the GPS, the investigators traversed a complex web of information, unveiling layer after layer of entangled facts. They followed the trails, navigating the treacherous labyrinth that stretched before them, and eventually traced the twisted线back to the presumed masterminds. Some of these villains were already behind bars, pulling the strings from within their wretched cells, using smuggled-in cell phones to orchestrate their deadly games.

Exploiting their knowledge of this dark underbelly, the cops devised a cunning plan. They planned to send an anonymous text to one of the inmates, warning: "It's hot, the feds know," with a link to a media release detailing a vehicle used in one of the murders. Hoping to provoke a flurry of responses, the investigators cast a wide net, waiting for the suspects to slip up.

Seizing every opportunity that presented itself, the investigators carried out a series of public and secretive raids. They swarmed music studios, vehicles, and other locations, seizing precious evidence and planting microphones to peer into the darkest corners of the suspects' lives.

One of their most daring moves involved placing microphones inside the home of a recently slain individual – a chilling reminder that the net was closing in on them. As the noose tightened, the suspects began to share their plans and ambitions, inadvertently revealing their twisted motivations.

One of the accused even boasted, "I want to eradicate them," while another casually mentioned, "I want them all." A third sent a screenshot with photos of Jean Vilsaint and Tajudeen circled in red, while some exchanged links to news articles about the murders.

In the bitter dance of cat and mouse, both sides lurked in the shadows, waiting for their moment to pounce. As the noose tightened, alliances were tested, betrayals occurred, and the truth began to unravel.

As the investigation reached its climax, the courts passed judgment on 14 suspects, some of whom now face trials scheduled for the following year. Recent court documents, now made available to the public, reveal the intricate details of a clandestine operation where police adaptation to new communication technologies and social media played a crucial role in nabbing the culprits.

The analysis of the Meecano investigation revealed that many of the suspects were frequent users of social media platforms, including the undercover agent, AI-48 326, who maintained a friendship with Felix Tremblay while inside prison.
Felix Tremblay, the man who was picked up by the cops for vehicle theft and receiving stolen goods in November 2023, was none other than an unknowing pawn in the game, unaware that his prison buddy was an undercover agent seeking information on the Meecano investigation.
The secrecy surrounding the operation, code-named Meecano, was shattered when court documents were made available to the general public, detailing how law enforcement agencies used undercover operatives, fake profiles, and even microphones hidden in suspects' homes to gather evidence.
Steady, the man who was murdered outside a shisha bar in Montreal a year prior, and Jack Shehata, who received the birthday card inviting him to the shisha bar in August 2024, were both casualties in a vicious gang conflict tearing apart Montreal and Laval, with the investigation into their murders, and others like them, being termed "Mecano."