(Montreal) The arrest of 22 people allegedly linked to a war between criminal groups in Quebec and the east of the province should help limit the bloodbaths, kidnappings and arsons of recent months, said Tuesday organized crime experts.
The conflict involves independent drug traffickers aligning themselves with a Quebec street gang called the Blood Family Mafia and refusing to pay the Hells Angels for their activities in the biker territories.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) launched “Operation Scandaleux” on Friday to try to calm the various conflicts that have erupted in eastern Quebec, such as arsons, shootings and other violent crimes for which investigations were already in progress.
“It’s an alliance of many drug dealers, some are independent, some are members of street gangs, but what they have in common is that they don’t want to pay the 10% share. to the Hells Angels,” explains Maria Mourani, criminologist and president of Mourani criminology. “There has been discontent among street gangs for a long time, because they no longer want to work for bikers. »
According to Mme Mourani, this discontent exploded in the Quebec region. Recent arrests are helping to alleviate some of that pressure and take dangerous individuals off the streets.
“But we haven’t solved the problem, more and more street gangs don’t want to work for biker gangs,” she said, adding that the same feeling exists among Montreal gangs, where there are also struggles for territory.
The increase in violence has been accompanied by videos distributed within criminal networks showing members of street gangs allegedly torturing Hells Angels.
“What we know is that they filmed the beatings, filmed the torture to publish these images on social networks and send them to the Hells Angels to send a message,” declared André Gélinas, a sergeant- Retired Montreal police detective who worked in intelligence and organized crime.
He said violence is regularly used by criminal groups such as the Italian mafia, bikers and street gangs, but previously “they were trying to hide while they were doing it.” The fact that they are filming their violence reflects a new approach, he added.
Among those arrested in recent days are eight men and two women involved in a hostage-taking which left one dead and three injured in Saint-Malachie, south of Quebec, on February 19.
The charges against them include kidnapping and aggravated assault “for injury, mutilation, disfigurement and/or endangering life.”
Patrick Martin, 29, was identified as the deceased and reports indicate he was killed by one of the kidnapped people.
Mme Mourani said that publication by street gangs on social networks is a long-standing practice, but that the videos illustrating the torture of opponents are a first in Quebec. She said it’s a practice more commonly associated with Mexican or Colombian cartels or Central American street gangs.
Both the weekend raid and this week’s raid included high-ranking members of the Blood Family Mafia.
The group’s leader, Dave “Pic” Turmel, is still on the run and has been wanted by Quebec police since July 2023, after an operation launched in February 2019 to counter an increase in violence linked to drug trafficking. According to some reports, Turmel is hiding in Europe.
Sergeant Hélène St-Pierre, of the SQ, affirmed that the 22e person arrested as part of “Operation Scandaleux” appeared Tuesday in court in Quebec.
The Crown said most of those arrested in recent days are expected back in court on Wednesday.
Mr. Gélinas said that it will be up to the courts to do their job now that the arrests have been made. “I hope this will put a little damper on [la violence], he added. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the courts will do their part. »