Major Mafia players have been repeatedly targeted by mischief, arson or gunfire in the past month in Montreal and Laval, an unequivocal expression of a new wave of tension within organized crime. traditional Italian.
What there is to know
- Two vehicles were burned in the entrance of a residence located very close to that of Francesco Del Balso, formerly of the Rizzuto clan.
- At least eight arson attacks, attempted arson attacks and shooting episodes in just a month have been directed against two high-ranking mob bosses, Marco Pizzi and Davide Barberio.
- The number of arson attacks would be on the rise in Montreal since the beginning of the year compared to last year.
The Press learned that the most recent event would have taken place on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in Laval, in the street where lives Francesco Del Balso, former lieutenant of the Rizzuto clan sentenced to 15 years for gangsterism and importing cocaine in stride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s major anti-Mafia operation Colisée in 2006.
Two vehicles were burned in the entrance of a residence located very close to that of the mafia and the authorities do not exclude that the arsonists were in the wrong house.
“Around 4:05 a.m., a call was made to 911 for two luxury vehicles on fire in a house entrance. Our crime scene technicians moved to the scene to investigate, ”described to The Press the spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Laval (SPL), Érika Landry, who did not want to confirm the hypothesis that Del Balso could be the one who was targeted.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Francesco Del Balso was brought to RCMP headquarters in Westmount following his arrest in Operation Colisée on November 22, 2006.
Del Balso is suspected of being involved in the attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto, youngest son of former godfather Vito Rizzuto, which occurred on March 15 on Highway 440, near Highway 13, in Laval.
He is also the subject of a major drug investigation led by the National Organized Crime Squad (ENRCO), headed by the Sûreté du Québec.
Eight events in one month
Furthermore, according to our information and a compilation made by The Pressat least eight arson attacks, attempted arson attacks and shooting episodes that occurred in barely a month, between the end of March and the end of April, were obviously directed against the clan leader Marco Pizzi, present in Rivière- des-Prairies and Laval, and the one the police consider to be the street boss of the mafia, Davide Barberio.
PHOTO THE PRESS
Marco Pizzi and Davide Barberio
In Montreal, fires reportedly targeted businesses or vehicles belonging to them, or belonging to relatives, particularly in the boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles and Montreal-Nord.
Shots were also fired at a massage parlor on Rue De Lorimier in late March.
In Laval, three suspects went to the property of a relative of Marco Pizzi on Lévesque Boulevard, on the night of Saturday to Sunday last.
They were surprised by one of the occupants of the place and an altercation ensued.
“The suspects then set fire to one of the vehicles parked in the entrance to the residence and stole the other vehicle. But as they fled, two of the suspects in one of the vehicles crashed into a house. They were arrested,” explained to The Press Stéphanie Beshara, also spokesperson for the SPL.
The two suspects, Kervens Raphaël and Raphaël Massé-Beauvais, both 20, have been charged with arson, possession of a firearm and absconding.
It appears that individuals linked to the Mafia have hired guards to guard their property.
According to our information, the number of arson attacks has increased significantly in Montreal since the beginning of the year compared to last year.
About fifteen of them seem linked to the mafia, according to our information.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.