War between mafia and Hells Angels for control of illegal sports betting, murder of Gregory Woolley, revolt of independent drug traffickers in eastern Quebec and major investigation surrounding the shocking revelations of a former hitman who makes important actors of the very nervous criminal world… If 2023 was eventful, 2024 could be just as eventful, if not more.
“High-level organized crime is destabilized and weakened. And in this environment, when there is a smell of blood, there are sharks or piranhas who will try to take a stand,” says Commander Francis Renaud, of the Organized Crime Division of the Police Department of the City of Montreal (SPVM).
On March 15, Leonardo Rizzuto, youngest son of former mafia godfather Vito Rizzuto, was shot and injured in Laval. We have to go back to 2009 and 2016, when the Sicilian clan was facing real putsch attempts, to find direct attacks against the family which has reigned over the Montreal mafia for more than 40 years.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Leonardo Rizzuto
In Beauce and Hérouxville, opponents of the Hells Angels have been attacking local players in the international biker group and their subordinate clubs for several weeks.
It would have been unthinkable, barely a year ago, for independent traffickers to dare attack the Hells Angels, considered by the police to be the most powerful criminal organization in Quebec, and even in Canada.
“What we are currently seeing is that various Montreal organized crime cells have split and lost influence and strength. This makes the community wonder what is going on and ask themselves: “Is there a pilot on the plane or is the cockpit empty at the moment?” “, illustrates Commander Francis Renaud, according to whom the current situation is reminiscent of those of 2009-2010 and 2016, when rebel clans of the mafia and that of the Scoppa brothers attacked the Sicilians, who emerged victorious but weakened from these aborted putsches.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Francis Renaud, commander of the SPVM organized crime division
For the first time since 2016, we see some friction. And friction, in this world, always results in violence, violence that the people currently in power have never experienced. Everyone is surprised, observing each other, studying each other and trying to see who their enemies and real friends are.
Francis Renaud, commander of the SPVM organized crime division
Climate of confrontation
Since the natural death of Vito Rizzuto in 2013, Montreal organized crime was led by an alliance between the mafia and Hells Angels, of which gang leader Gregory Woolley was the kingpin.
A lull reigned for several years, but the alliance dissolved sometime in 2022, when a conflict erupted between the Rizzuto clan and the Montreal Hells Angels for control of the lucrative illegal sports betting, held for decades by the Sicilian clan of the Montreal mafia.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Francesco Del Balso, former lieutenant of the Rizzuto clan who became an associate of the Hells Angels, was assassinated on June 5 in Dollard-des-Ormeaux.
It is in this context that Leonardo Rizzuto was injured in March and that Claudia Iacono – by mistake – and Francesco Del Balso were assassinated in May and June, probably in retaliation for the attack against the son of the late godfather.
There are certain partnerships that existed for a long time and which no longer exist today. We had a certain stability which seems to have evaporated and that will lead to a race for leadership or the coronation of an organization which will take over another. This is what we can see now.
Francis Renaud, commander of the SPVM organized crime division
“I don’t think we’re close to seeing alliances. I think more that we are in confrontation. There are people who seem to want to take the plunge and seize an opportunity, because there are lucrative positions that seem to want to open up. But it may not be easy to seize these places,” the commander continues.
Big shoes to fill
According to our information, representatives of criminal groups held meetings at the end of 2023, the reasons for which are unknown. Either they forge alliances, or they try to get along, keeping in mind that conflicts are never good for business, one might think.
Francis Renaud believes that the community will have to find a new Gregory Woolley, after the latter’s assassination in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in November, to serve as a link between the groups.
“Woolley was a big guy. He played a certain role in criminal society. He was a liaison officer for all criminal organizations. There will have to be someone who plays this role, otherwise certain organizations will not talk to each other and that will bring violence and insecurity to the community,” says Mr. Renaud.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND
A central figure in Quebec organized crime, at the confluence of street gangs, the mafia and the Hells Angels, the boss Gregory Woolley was killed in front of his wife and his newborn baby – a rare occurrence in the underworld – in a parking lot. from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, November 17.
The elephant in the room
In 2023, there was an elephant in the room which will still be present in this new year which begins: Frédérick Silva, this former hitman for the mafia and bikers who is at the heart of the investigation of the decade led by the SPVM and the Sûreté du Québec. He made revelations to investigators about thirty murders and as many attempted murders committed within organized crime since at least the 2010s.
When the arrests take place, criminal groups, particularly the Sicilian mafia, could be weakened and police believe adversaries could seek to take advantage.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE POLICE SERVICE OF THE CITY OF MONTRÉAL, ARCHIVES
Former hitman turned informer Frederick Silva
“If we create a certain vacuum, there are people who will want to fill it and that could lead to violence. There will be consequences to this investigation, organized crime will probably be modified and there will be changes. Which ? We cannot predict them. But we really believe that the year 2024 will show something new compared to the last four, five or six years,” predicts Commander Francis Renaud.
The latter is optimistic about the capacity of the justice system to absorb future procedures. But he hopes he’s not wrong.
This case will put the justice system to the test. If the judicial system is not able to take on this project, we have a serious social problem. We will arrive with the most serious section of the Criminal Code, murder, and if we are unable to land the plane because it is too big for the runway, we will have to question the system .
Francis Renaud, commander of the SPVM organized crime division
In conclusion, Francis Renaud does not want to say whether the long-awaited arrests will take place in 2024.
“Everything is possible. The investigation is going well. It will be a surprise. If, in the world of organized crime, revenge has no expiration date, the police have long memories too,” he warns.
To contact Daniel Renaud, call 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.
Armed violence: the decline continued in 2023
The number of firearm discharges continued to decrease in 2023 in Montreal: as of December 30, 99 had been recorded compared to 128 for all of 2022 and 144 for 2021. As of December 30, nine murders had been committed with a firearm in the metropolis in 2023, compared to 21 for the whole of 2022 and 19 for 2021. And on the same date, nearly 750 firearms had been seized in Montreal in 2023; “That’s two a day,” proudly says Francis Renaud, commander of the Organized Crime Division of the Montreal City Police Department.
“The targeted strategies put forward by the SPVM have borne fruit, the different groups and squads, all that put together, we took our direction,” said Mr. Renaud.
“But I won’t lie, it’s a surprise for us too. We are public safety professionals, we put in place strategies that we believe will be successful, but no one expected a relatively quiet summer, like the one we had. But does that mean the game is won? I don’t think so and we will stay the course,” he concludes.