Assassination of Crime Boss in Quebec Starbucks May Indicate Shift to Audacious Tactics, Report Criminologists
The audacious public execution of a influential Quebec gang leader inside a peripheral Starbucks recently could suggest a new, more volatile and aggressive climate when it comes to criminal organizations, analysts report.
Authority Gap Emerging
The arrests of purported top-level, veteran members of Montreal's mafia in June has possibly created a vacuum – meaning emerging, less experienced gangs are attempting to gain a foothold.
Shooting Incident Particulars
Police said at a news conference that they were dispatched to a Starbucks in the Quebec municipality at about mid-morning on Wednesday because of reports of a gunfire inside the coffee shop. An individual was murdered and two more individuals were wounded.
Victim Identification
While police have not verified the deceased's identity, various journalistic sources have said the man killed was a sentenced narcotics dealer, forty, also known by an nickname. The individual was the leader of a gang operating in the area.
Official Statements
The government representative said: "All evidence points to it being an act linked to underworld activities."
The local police chief informed reporters that while he could not speak specifically on the investigation, he recognizes the man killed due to his "reputation". "He is linked to organised crime," he said.
Previous Activities
The victim was first linked publicly to illegal operations in the mid-2000s when law enforcement in Montreal detained him and several accomplices in a drug trafficking investigation. He ultimately pleading guilty on narcotics charges and was sentenced to two years in prison.
According to documents, the man was detained for a later instance in the late 2000s, again for drug trafficking, and was afterwards sentenced to another half-decade in prison.
Expert Analysis
A criminology professor said that organised crime in the area used to be defined around maintaining control over open confrontations and depended on a defined leadership system.
An bold midday assassination at a coffee shop chain indicates there may not be a controlling entity enforcing rules – as violence could affect business when it comes to illegal substance trade, said the specialist.
Organizational Breakdown
The professor stated it is plausible that the faction which attacked the criminal boss simply "showed disregard" about the open demonstration of aggression in order to kill their quarry.
But the expert believes more probable is there has been a decline of structure and dominance within organised crime in Montreal, connected with major arrests of the alleged chiefs of the city's organized crime made in June.
Major Apprehensions
After a multi-year investigation, authorities took into custody an purported mafia leader and charged him with killing and other associated offences.
Present Circumstances
The current apprehensions were viewed as the ultimate "decisive blow" for the long-standing organized crime, noted the specialist.
It has resulted in a vacuum that younger street gangs are looking to fill. The latest incident is an sign of an volatile, evolving situation, he noted.
"There is kind of this multitude of minor, not highly structured gangs ... that are competing for control," he said.