Montreal organized crime | Police expect eventful 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.