Police came looking for a handgun, left ‘flabbergasted’ after discovering what was buried under the garage

A man from Canada has lost a court case that lasted 16 years. He was trying to get back more than $1.2 million that he had hidden in strange places around his house. Marcel Breton kept the money at his home in the countryside near Thunder Bay, a city in northwest Ontario.

According to CNN, Police came to Breton’s house, because they were looking for an illegal handgun. But they ended up finding something completely different. They discovered $15,000 in cash hidden inside the floor heating ducts in the living room. They also found around $32,000 stored in different spots in the garage.

The really big surprise came next. Police found more than $1.2 million in Canadian money inside a rubber tub that was buried in the ground under the garage. All of this added up to $1.19 million in US dollars back in 2009. Police also found drugs at the property, including cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy. They told Canadian news reporters at the time that they were “flabbergasted” by everything they found.

Burying money under your garage probably wasn’t the best idea

Breton was charged with crimes including having money that came from illegal activities. He was found guilty at first, but then he had another trial. This time, he won because he proved that the police search was not done properly according to the law. So he was cleared of all charges. But even though he beat the criminal charges, there was still the question of what would happen to all that money.

This week, a court in Ontario said that most of the money has to go to the government. This decision backed up an earlier ruling from 2023. The judge in the case, Justice Bruce Fitzpatrick, said it was “unusual for an average person to have such a large amount of money buried in tubs underneath their property.” He also said that most of the bills were $20 notes, which is the type of money bill that gets used most often in drug dealing.

Records showed that Breton did not tell the Canada Revenue Agency about any income from 2001 to 2008. The judge did not believe the reasons Breton gave for having so much cash. Breton said he won the money from a lottery or casino, or that he made it from his car repair business. In another case involving unusual police discoveries, YouTube star Jack Doherty was arrested after police found something in his possession.

Michelle Gallant, who teaches law at the University of Manitoba, said that Breton had to prove the money came from legal ways. She pointed out that “cash is the currency of illegal drugs” and asked why someone would bury money that they got legally instead of putting it in a bank where it could make interest.

Breton did get one piece of good news though. The court said he can keep the $15,000 that was found in the heating vents. The judge could not say for certain that this money came from crimes. That amount is worth a bit more than $10,600 now. Similar to how a moped rider attempted a wild move during a police chase, Breton’s case shows that trying to hide things from the law usually does not work out well.