Mexican authorities arrested fugitive Maxime Paquette in Cancun, ending a multi-year international manhunt for the final suspect in Quebec's massive Desjardins data theft investigation, officials confirmed on July 21, 2026.
Paquette had been wanted since June 2024 by the Sûreté du Québec under operations Portier and Projet D.
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He faces charges including identity theft, trafficking in identifying information, and fraud over $5,000.
Data Theft and Dark Web Sales
Alongside co-suspect Juan Pablo Serrano, Paquette allegedly possessed 3.85 million customer profiles stolen from the financial institution.
Authorities accuse the pair of reselling data on the dark web to execute financial frauds using stolen AccèsD passwords.
Serrano was previously apprehended in Spain six months prior and remains in custody awaiting extradition.
Following Paquette's arrest, all primary suspects in the Portier investigation have now been located and detained, though extradition procedures back to Canada could take several months.
The Desjardins data breach, which first came to light in 2019, impacted more than 9 million individuals, including nearly 7 million Quebec residents.
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An internal marketing employee illegally extracted and distributed the sensitive customer information between September 2018 and January 2019.
In 2021, Desjardins agreed to a $200 million settlement to compensate affected members.
Meanwhile, six other suspects charged in connection with purchasing or using the stolen data have pleaded not guilty, seeking to abort proceedings over alleged rights violations due to media leaks.
Desjardins spokesperson Jean-Benoît Turcotti expressed satisfaction with the police operation in Mexico, emphasizing the institution's continued support for law enforcement.
"We are satisfied to learn of this arrest and we reiterate our full collaboration with the authorities in the continuation of the proceedings," said Turcotti.
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Paquette remains in custody in Mexico while Canadian prosecution services begin formal extradition proceedings.
