A doorman associated with a street gang. Two rival cliques present at the same party. A clientele sometimes hostile to police interventions. The presence of criminals at the Pandora club in Laval posed a risk to public safety, according to police testimony during hearings of the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ).
The place located in Laval on Boulevard Saint-Martin received a fine of $3,000 last week and a suspension of his alcohol license for 7 days, according to a joint proposal presented to administrative judge Marc Savard. The Pandora Supper Club was summoned before the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux last November.
INFOGRAPHICS THE PRESS
The Pandora Supper Club, in Laval
August 3, 2023. A after-party intended for spectators of the concert of American rapper 50 Cent at the Bell Center is in full swing at the Pandora Supper Club in Laval. The Équinoxe squad, specialized in monitoring establishments with alcohol licenses and collecting information, is there.
“In recent years, when 50 Cent came, there were people of interest to us, attracted by this style of music,” summarizes Detective Sergeant Antoni Mehani, of the Laval Police Service (SPL).
The latter, who has been observing street gangs and organized crime in Laval for several years, recognizes a familiar face: that of Jeffrey Gerdes. He is standing behind the front door and is dressed in a porter’s outfit. “I know that he has been associated for a long time with a Vimont gang that we had here in Laval a long time ago,” explained the experienced police officer.
Checks carried out by the police revealed that Mr Gerdes did not have the BSP license necessary for the function of security guard, said Detective Sergeant Mehani.
Visit Equinoxe from the opening
The Pandora Supper Club attracted the attention of the authorities since its inauguration on July 16, 2023, explained Detective Sergeant Mehani.
Over time we have noted the presence of highly criminalized people who are involved in violent events, shootings, attempted murders.
Antoni Mehani, detective sergeant at the SPL
During the opening party, the police officer noticed a minor from the Chomedey sector on the terrace, in the middle of a crowd of drunken guests. Detective Sergeant Mehani tries to tell him to leave the scene, but is interrupted by the boy’s brother, according to his testimony.
“The situation has degenerated. He shouted, cursed, insulted the officers. He had to be restrained on the ground. »
The intervention becomes complicated when the drunk man’s partner gets involved in the arrest. Cayenne pepper had to be used to control her, the detective sergeant recalled. A bucket of ice was thrown at a police vehicle, he said.
“It created a crowd around us, we asked for backup to control the crowd which was starting to be hostile towards us. »
The authorities are trying to obtain surveillance camera footage after the arrest of the adult arrested earlier. The owner Jack Dabaghian did not respond to this request despite several communications from the police, according to Detective Sergeant Mehani.
The owner ended up, according to the police officer, contacting the police a week later. The images from the surveillance cameras are then no longer available due to the delay.
Two enemy gangs at the same party
Even more worrying, the detective sergeant noticed in October that several members of rival gangs were present at the same time. Individuals associated with the Profit Kollektaz, a red allegiance gang from Rivière-des-Prairies, and members of CCL, a blue allegiance group whose name refers to the Christophe-Colomb/Louvain intersection in Montreal.
The police also saw at Pandora three men considered to be members of the Flamed Head Boys (FHB), a street gang from Laval-des-Rapides: Johnny Odiesse, Jack Shehata and Yves-Henri Ami.
Kensey Appollon, a man associated with the Profit Kollektaz, a Rivière-des-Prairies gang, is also identified by Équinoxe on at least one occasion. The individual known as Ryder then wears a diamond-studded pendant confirming his allegiance.
The police also identified Stevens Cantave in Pandora, an alleged Pierrefonds gang member killed last February.
Door searches are virtually nil. There are people who come home with manpurses [sacoches de luxe pour hommes]. We know that it is an accessory used to hide weapons.
Antoni Mehani, detective sergeant at the SPL
He also speaks of an evening where the clientele belonging to the criminal sector posed a problem. “It was difficult to get around. There are certain tensions towards us, but also among the customers. We had the feeling that not everyone was there to have fun,” says Detective Sergeant.
Detective Sergeant Philippe Rossignol, from the intelligence section, street gang module, at the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM), also illustrated the risk linked to the presence of bandits in Pandora during a hearing.
“Gang culture brings conflict and jealousy, which breeds violence,” the expert popularized.
He also confirmed an alliance between the Profit Kollektaz and the Blood Family Mafia (BMF) group, suspected of being linked to the wave of armed violence in Quebec.
Detective Sergeant Rossignol said he was concerned to see enemies rubbing shoulders in the same place. “That raises public safety issues,” he said.
The owner of Pandora, defended by Me Hovsep Dadaghalian is committed to closely monitoring special events organized by promoters in his establishment.