Three Men Remain Detained After the Sûreté du Québec’s Rivière-du-Loup Operations, and One, Aged 37, Pleaded Not Guilty and Elected Trial by Jury (November 11, 2026)

Three men remain detained after the Sûreté du Québec’s run of searches and arrests around Rivière-du-Loup, and one of them has taken his case to a jury. Journal Le Soir reported on November 11 that a 37-year-old man pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury, and that on Monday, November 9 he gave up his bail hearing and remains in detention, with his case moving to the criminal assizes of the Superior Court that open on December 7 in Rivière-du-Loup. The outlet reported that two other men, aged 46 and 45, also remain detained in connection with drug trafficking, with bail hearings set for November 16. Gangland Files reported the five arrests and the seizure lists on November 7.

Legal status: Detained. The 37-year-old man pleaded not guilty and elected trial by jury. The 46-year-old and 45-year-old men appeared in court in connection with drug trafficking and remain detained. None of the allegations has been tested in court and all three men are presumed innocent.

The Court Step

Journal Le Soir reports that the 37-year-old man was arrested on November 4 during searches in Rivière-du-Loup, where police seized a prohibited weapon. He pleaded not guilty and chose to be tried by a jury, and the outlet reports that he said several times that he does not want a lawyer. On Monday, November 9 he renounced his bail hearing, and Journal Le Soir reports he stays in detention while the judicial process continues. His case goes to the criminal assizes of the Superior Court opening on December 7 in Rivière-du-Loup.

The 46-year-old man was arrested on November 4 and appeared in court in connection with drug trafficking activities, and the 45-year-old man was intercepted on November 5 and appeared in court in connection with drug trafficking, Journal Le Soir reports. Both remain detained and both have bail hearings set for November 16.

What the Sûreté du Québec Says It Is Doing

Journal Le Soir reports that, following a double homicide on October 22 in the parking lot of the Normandin restaurant in Rivière-du-Loup, the Sûreté du Québec stepped up targeted interventions in the area, and that no arrest has been made in the homicide case. The outlet reports that the force says it wants to maintain constant pressure on those involved in organized crime and will continue its operations in the coming weeks.

A Further Search on November 11

Separately, the Sûreté du Québec said in a release published on November 11 that its investigators searched a residence in Sainte-Rita early that morning, as part of ongoing investigations into armed-violence events in the Rivière-du-Loup region over recent weeks. The force said investigators are still working to identify the people who may be involved, that it is giving no further detail because several investigations are active, and that it intends to keep constant pressure on organized crime and armed violence. TVA CIMT CHAU reported the same search on November 11 and reported that no arrest was made in connection with it.

All three men are presumed innocent, and none of these allegations has been tested in court. The allegations are those of the Sûreté du Québec, as reported by Journal Le Soir and TVA CIMT CHAU and as published in the force’s own release on the Sainte-Rita search.