Employees of Montreal towing company arrested

Police targeted a towing company Tuesday inthree early morning raidsinLaval,Saint-JrmeandMontreal, arresting 12people.

In total, police had 13 arrest warrants for employees of AccsRemorquage.They were still searching for the one remaining suspect Tuesday evening.

Seven tow trucks belonging to the company,which operates primarily in Montreal'snorth end, were also seized.

Those arrested included the owners, managersand several employees. Six of the 12 arrested were detained.

Police say they face charges includingtheft, fraud, extortion, conspiracyand armed assault.

Car owners forced to pay on the spot, police say

Police spokesmanInsp.AndrDurocher said the company would seize vehicles parked in violation of rules advertised on private or commercial properties and keep them until owners paid them immediately by cash or credit.

Some customers facedviolence and others were charged amounts beyond the allowable fee, which Durochersaid is about $100 including taxes.

If you ask for your vehicle and a tow-truck driver refuses, call the policethey're not allowed to do that, it's theft.- Montreal police Insp. Andr Durocher

"In some cases ... if someone came out and they were starting to [tow] their car, they would refuse to release the car unless the person paid immediatelyon the spot, and that's illegal," Durocher said.

"If you ask for your vehicle and a tow-truck driver refuses [and forces you to pay], call the police they're not allowed to do that, it's theft."

Policesaid they have received 75 complaints about the company since last fall,and that there was enough evidencein 50 of those casesto proceed with arrests.

Police say same company in the news last year

Durochersaid the company used to be known asRemorquageA9, which was in the news last year after a number of car owners accused it of questionable business practices, including intimidation and threats.

At the time, Quebec's consumer protection office said A9was "one of the top companies regarding complaints" in the province andissued the company a warning to correct its way of doing business.

An unrelated report by Montreal's inspector general, released in April, found the city's towing industry has been infiltrated by organizedcrime groups that resort to violence and intimidation to secure profits.

Some companies under contract with the city have ties to one of the main organized crime networks, be itthe Hells Angels, the Mafia or street gangs, according to the report.

• Montreal's towing industry dominated by violence, organized crime, report says
• SPECIAL REPORT:Towing company in Laval racks up dozens of complaints