A barrage of charges were brought Saturday against nine people suspected of being responsible for the violent events of recent days in eastern Quebec, as the conflict between organized crime groups continued to wreak havoc.
Evan Lavoie, 21 years old, Andréanne Dominique, 37 years old, Dave Galienne-Picard, 30 years old, Rémi Fournier, 38 years old, Charlotte Montambault-Vaillancourt, 32 years old, Nicholas Côté, 45 years old, Maxime Maheux, 25 years old, Bianca Simard, 28 years old, and Francis Gauthier-Marcoux, 32, were all charged on Saturday with various crimes related to the events of the last few days, at the Quebec courthouse.
Francis Gauthier-Marcoux and Bianca Simard are accused of attempted murder, discharging a firearm with intent to injure and conspiracy, in connection with events that occurred on November 3 in Quebec.
As for them, Evan Lavoie and Andréanne Dominique face charges of kidnapping, attempted kidnapping with intent to kidnap and serious assault. The indictment relates to events that occurred between February 12 and 20, in Montmagny.
These same counts were deposed against Rémi Fournier and Dave Galienne-Picard, for the period of February 13 and 19. Everything indicates that the four accused are linked to the hostage-taking which resulted in one death and three injured earlier this week in Saint-Malachie. The SQ arrested three people in the Montmagny area on Friday.
Nicholas Côté is accused of setting fire to the KCR Karting building in Château-Richer on February 9. He is also suspected of having “plotted” with several other people to do this, including Patrick Boisvert, Pierre-Alexandre Paquet-Couturier, Ronnie-James St-Hilaire and Carl Martineau.
Maxime Maheux is also accused of having set fire to a business on Rue Industrielle, in Sainte-Marguerite, on October 31, 2023. As for Charlotte Montambault-Vaillancourt, she is accused of having in her possession cocaine, methamphetamines and GHB “with a view to trafficking”.
In all cases, “the prosecution opposed the provisional release of these individuals and their cases were postponed until February 28 for further proceedings,” indicated the spokesperson for the Director of Criminal Prosecutions and criminal law (DPCP), Me Audrey Roy-Cloutier, specifying that other accused must appear Saturday afternoon.
Most defendants have extensive criminal histories related to drugs or violence. Dave Galienne-Picard, for example, has had 20 prosecutions alone since 2013. Rémi Fournier has also been accused 15 times and Andréanne Dominique, five times, since 2020. Nicholas Côté, Francis Gauthier-Marcoux, Bianca Simard and Maxime Maheux also have a criminal record.
Another violent event
All this comes after a little earlier, on Saturday, a man in his thirties was seriously injured during an armed attack, this time in Thetford Mines. The Sûreté du Québec was called to the scene around 3:30 a.m., in a residence on rue Saint-Nazaire.
A man in his thirties “suffered significant injuries, which however did not endanger his life,” said agent Hélène St-Pierre, spokesperson for the SQ. The victim was allegedly beaten by one or more suspects, who subsequently fled.
Several investigators as well as forensic identification technicians were called to the scene to assess the scene. A security perimeter has been erected and local traffic stopped, but no arrests have yet been made. “Everything suggests that it would be linked to the violent events that we have seen in eastern Quebec recently,” said M.me St-Pierre from the start of the day.
The ongoing war for control of the drug trade has already resulted in fires, two hostage situations and a murder. The regions of Quebec, Chaudière-Appalaches, Bas-Saint-Laurent and Côte-Nord are affected.
Friday, during a press briefing held in Quebec, the SQ raised its voice and declared that the war between bikers and street gang members in the region has lasted long enough. The police force says it fears for the safety of civilians if the conflict continues.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
Lieutenant Benoît Richard, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, provided an update on Friday following arrests linked to organized crime in Montmagny.
An “attack force” was set up, said Lieutenant Benoit Richard, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, in order to show criminals that “enough is enough”. SQ agents from several regions participate in several operations, as do municipal police officers from Quebec, Saguenay and Lévis. In addition to searches, visits to licensed establishments are also carried out in a targeted manner.
According to several sources, the conflict in the Quebec region involves members of the Blood Family Mafia (BFM) street gang, which is allegedly led by a trafficker and pimp, Dave “Pic” Turmel, aged 27.
During an indeterminate period, the latter would have operated in Lévis, with the blessing of the Hells Angels, but he would have fallen out with them after having started to obtain cocaine from a gang in the Montreal region. According to our information, Turmel’s group also stole several kilograms of cocaine from a cache controlled by the Hells Angels.
The conflict in a few dates
- February 19 : A man loses his life and three others are injured during a kidnapping and sequestration case in which the suspects are believed to be members of the BFM street gang.
- February 22 : A man from Saguenay who was missing since the day before was found in the middle of the night, on a sidewalk in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough, in Montreal. He is seriously injured in the body and has a toe and a finger cut off.
- February 22 : A man is seriously injured during an armed attack in Montmagny. The victim was transported to hospital, but his condition stabilized and he was released in the evening.
- February 23 : The Sûreté du Québec holds a press briefing to try to calm things down, by warning organized crime that it will intensify its presence and that the increase in tension must stop, for the safety of the population.
- February 24 : A new armed attack occurs, this time in Thetford Mines. There is no fear for the victim’s life.
With Gabriel Béland and Daniel Renaud, The Press