Young people being recruited to commit robberies, crimes: Montreal police

Montreal police say a rise in thefts at jewelry stores across the city are frequently being carried out by minors, sometimes as young as 13.

In the first nine months of the year, police recorded 46 thefts, armed robberies and break-ins at jewelry stores, up from just 15 recorded incidents in all of 2022.

Iad Hanna, commander of the East Special Investigation Project Group, told Global News the force is seeing more of what they call “youth criminal exploitation.”

“They’re using young people to commit these crimes because we know those people don’t have access to sell those jewelry,” he said.

Hanna said the force is recognizing a pattern where young people are recruited to commit crimes across the city, including robberies, arson and shootings.

He said criminals are targeting young people by giving them the “illusion of easy wealth.”

Eddy Safadi said he believes it was young people who drove a car through his store window on Thursday before grabbing a bunch of jewelry.

“All of a sudden, I hear like an explosion. I thought it was an earthquake,” he said, describing the impact of the car crashing through the window.

“I saw the guys, they’re breaking, grabbing. I called 911 and then the police came.”

The robbery happened around 12:30 p.m. Thursday while Safadi was in the store helping an elderly customer.

Police have not identified any suspects in the case.

Safadi said the business has been around for 40 years and has never experienced something like this. He took ownership of the store in 2015.

“I was shocked because I worked all my life, hard, non-stop, and never took any unemployment,” he told Global News. “I’m trying just to earn my living. I have a family to support.”

Hanna said the robbery at Safadi’s store was rare because of the use of the vehicle to break through the exterior, but he believes young people may have still been involved.

Safadi said he is fed up and wants to see harsher punishments for those convicted of robbery.

“There should be jail time, should be more years, so people know not to do it again and again,” he said.

But Hanna said the force is trying to work on ways to show minors in Montreal that there are other avenues.

“As a father, when you see that, you ask yourself where we failed as a society to bring a 13-year-old to commit a crime like that,” he said. “We have to work on giving them another pathway.”

Hanna said police are working with community partners on a strategy for youth crime prevention.

“It’s a long road before we see results, but we have to do it. It’s very important,” he said.

Safadi said he is thankful that only things were lost in the robbery, rather than lives.

“I am still strong, I am still standing here, I will reopen,” he said. “We don’t give up.”