A joint project that has brought to light several gang members, some of whom are the masterminds of their organization: the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) have confirmed that they have arrested ten people in total in connection with two homicides that occurred last summer.
These are the murders of Noel Garcia-Frias and Justice Owusu Tajudeen.
The latter was shot dead last summer at the Arabesque hookah bar, located in downtown Montreal.
The other victim, aged 32, died from his injuries after being hit by several gunshots. The victim, killed in Charlemagne, in Lanaudière, was known to police circles.
Authorities believe that the June 2023 murder of Noel Garcia-Frias, two months before Justice Owusu Tajudeen’s, was actually a case of mistaken identity. Both victims were driving the same Audi.
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PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE MAGNUS POIRIER FUNERAL CENTER WEBSITE
Noel Garcia-Frias
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PHOTO TAKEN FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Justice Owusu Tajudeen, 28, shot dead last summer
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The Press reported on Wednesday that Sylvain Kabbouchi, Andreï Donet, Bradley Phanord Barthelus, Romuald Surin and Félix Tremblay were the subject of an arrest warrant in connection with charges of murder and conspiracy to murder.
Last week, Johnny Odiesse, one of the leaders of the Laval-des-Rapides street gang Flamed Head Boys (FHB), as well as Jack Shehata, William Beauvais-Bazile and M’hammed Berberi were arrested and charged in connection with the same murders.
Another arrest, that of a 27-year-old woman, took place Thursday morning, as well as two searches, announced Jean-Sébastien Caron, commander of the SPVM’s Major Crimes. She is currently being met by investigators.
There are therefore ten alleged murderers in total. Nine of them are linked to various active criminal gangs, suspected of being responsible for several shooting incidents in Greater Montreal in recent years, confirmed Captain Jessie Houle, of the SQ’s Crimes Against Persons Investigation Service.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Jean-Sébastien Caron, commander at the SPVM
This is a severe blow to these groups. Some have plotted from prison. Murder investigations are often long and complex.
Jean-Sébastien Caron, commander at the SPVM
The authorities’ crackdown reveals a troubling issue: Several of the accused were incarcerated at the time of both murders. Even with the consequences of prison time or pretrial detention, some individuals manage to place orders and commit serious crimes.
“Yes, it is worrying. We are trying to reduce that and we are working together with all our partners to do so,” stressed Commander Caron.
Four of the new suspects were already behind bars for other crimes and were arrested at the provincial detention centres in Montreal and Rivière-des-Prairies, as well as at the federal regional reception centre in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines. The SPVM and SQ investigation team also conducted a search and apprehended a man in Laval.
The police are still actively searching for Dylan Denis, an individual closely linked to the gang members arrested in recent days. He is currently accused of the murder of Christopher-Shawn Jean Vilsaint, a close friend of Justice Owusu Tajudeen. “It is quite rare to have so much evidence on members of the same gang in murder cases,” added Captain Houle, emphasizing the important collaborative work between the two police forces.