Stabbed, tortured and beaten in prison: an inmate associated with the Blood Family Mafia (BFM) was found bloodied and unrecognizable in his prison cell in Quebec City. Maxime Maheux, 25, had just pleaded guilty at the time of the attempted murder that left him in critical condition. His cooperation with the justice system was highlighted in court.
What there is to know
An inmate linked to the Blood Family Mafia (BFM), a criminal gang in Quebec, was found in critical condition in a cell at Orsainville prison.
Everything suggests that the victim, Maxime Maheux, was stabbed, beaten and tortured behind bars after he had just pleaded guilty to offences related to the ongoing drug war in the Quebec region.
The violent conflict is said to have pitted the BFM against the Hells Angels and is said to have its origins in the control of cocaine and its supply.
The attack of rare violence occurred three days ago at the Orsainville detention center, located in Quebec, according to several sources consulted by The Press.
Maxime Maheux was allegedly stabbed and tortured to the point where it was difficult to recognize him. Correctional officers discovered his body covered in injuries. The man was taken to hospital, where he was treated for numerous fractures. According to our information, he was also injured in the back with a sharp object. The armed attack allegedly took place out of sight in the cell of a sector where several members of the BFM criminal gang are detained.
PHOTO TAKEN FROM MAXIME MAHEUX’S FACEBOOK PAGE
The victim, Maxime Maheux
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) immediately opened an investigation. According to our information, a knife may have been used by the attackers.
Tensions over violent gang
Maxime Maheux was arrested last winter following a police raid aimed at combating the outbreak of violence to control the drug market in Quebec.
The attack came a week after Maxime Maheux pleaded guilty. Described as an ordinary individual drawn into crime because of his drug problems, the 25-year-old was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of arson and breaking and entering.
“You were used as a pawn to pass messages,” Judge Jean-Philippe Robitaille summed up when he admitted the facts.
Maxime Maheux is said to have quickly confessed to the police during questioning. He was arrested last winter during a raid in which the police arrested nine people, all associated with the activities of BFM. He said he wanted to change his life and went his own way by pleading guilty while other defendants are awaiting trial.
The organization, led by Dave “Pic” Turmel, and the Hells Angels are engaged in a merciless war for control of narcotics in the Quebec region. Hostage-taking, arson, murder: many violent events are linked to this conflict.
BFM has already had the blessing of the Hells Angels in the past. The disagreement with them allegedly began when Dave Turmel’s gang began to obtain cocaine from a gang in the Montreal area.
Critical situation in prison
The event is hardly surprising given the tense situation at the Orsainville prison, where individuals associated with BFM and bikers are incarcerated, according to the national president of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec, Mathieu Lavoie.
This is the reality of today’s corrections. We have entire wings of increasingly violent gangs that are intimidating people in the prison and on social media.
Mathieu Lavoie, national president of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec
The situation at Orsainville prison is critical in his eyes. The facility operates solely thanks to mandatory overtime imposed on correctional officers due to staff shortages. Sharp weapons, cell phones and illicit substances will continue to circulate there if punitive measures are not toughened in places of detention, he says.
The Ministry of Public Safety (MSP) declined to comment on the attempted murder given the ongoing investigation. “Security in detention facilities is a priority. The MSP is continually working to maintain and implement various measures, technological or otherwise, to make detention facilities safer for incarcerated persons as well as staff members,” the Ministry responded by email.
With Vincent Larouche, The Press