Martina Guanajane | Special to CBC News

Pupils are being asked to help investigate an alleged “vendetta” between rival gangs in an area of northeast Montreal where one of them is suspected to be.

On Thursday, officers said they found drug needles and plastic bags of cocaine in a car parked at several different locations in an area south of the Montreal-area borough of Val-d’Or.

Investigators believe the gang members targeted a single area before using a small van to travel to other spots in the area.

“That’s what our initial police action indicates was the motive for these acts,” said Const. Yves Lemieux, with the Quebec Major Crime Unit.

Val-d’Or borough commander Michael Lemieux, left, and Val-d’Or police superintendent Alexandre Domingues listen to residents’ concerns in the borough’s community centre in Val-d’Or on Tuesday. (Alexandre Domingues/Twitter)

Police said they have the names of two women in the neighbourhood.

They also say that a vehicle believed to be carrying drug proceeds was stolen from the area in early June.

Vancouver is home to a gang of roughly 8,000 members, but the gang is said to be at odds with other gangs in the area. (CBC)

Val-d’Or borough commander Michael Lemieux said the crime is an “off-shoot” of an unsolved turf war between rival street gangs in the area.

“That’s the motive,” he said, noting that Val-d’Or is considered a “more upscale” neighbourhood than the neighbourhoods just south of the borough, which has more younger residents and higher crime rates and is also known for drugs and robbery.

Lemieux also said there is still no sign of any gang activity in the area at this time.