Is the long reign of the Hells Angels in Quebec coming to an end?
That’s what many are asking after three men linked to the Hells Angels were kidnapped and tortured in Quebec City.
Even more shockingly, another Hells Angels associate was kidnapped, tortured, and mutilated before being dropped off in downtown Montreal. Unfortunately, this likely foreshadows things to come.
It has been widely reported that a group called the Blood Family Mafia is refusing the 10% tax on drug sales that the Hells Angels have long demanded from independent drug sellers.
This is the first time since 2002 that anyone has directed challenged the authority of the Hells Angel in Quebec, bringing back memories of the bloody Biker Wars, which claimed the lives of over 160 people between 1994 and 2002.
Unfortunately, all signs indicate that a major gang war is now well underway in Quebec.
The good news is that it seems unlikely that the Hells Angels can win this time.
The bad news is that whoever takes their place might actually be worse.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
First things first - the Hells Angels have long ruled Quebec’s underworld with an iron fist. Drug dealers who defy them are often the victims of murder, torture, beatings, and acts of intimidation.
The relationships between the Hells Angels and other gangs (such as criminal organizations) and the Irish Mob) are complex, but Vito Rizzuto of the Italian Mafia used to be acknowledged as the “boss of bosses”.
That all changed when Vito Rizzuto was arrested in 2004 and extradited to the U.S., leading to a power struggle for control of Montreal’s lucrative drug trade. These events are dramatized in the Netflix series Bad Blood, a high-water mark in the history of Canadian television.
Nevertheless, according to The Dirty Newz:
In the province of Quebec, the Hells Angels rule every square inch with an iron fist.
The fact that they are now being challenged on their own turf is very big news.
What is the Blood Family Mafia?
The Blood Family Mafia is a street gang hailing from Levis, an industrial suburb of Quebec on the South Shore of the St. Lawrence river.
In the parlance of the Canadian underworld, a “street gang” is a term which usually refers to independent drug sellers who defy more institutional criminal organizations (like the Italian Mafia, the Irish Mob, the Hells Angels, or the Outlaws).
The Blood Family Mafia’s name is reminiscent of the U.S.-based Bloods, but it is led by a Quebecois man named Dave Turmel, who is white.
That said, the BFM is reportedly connected to a Montreal-based street gang called the Profit Boys, and may well be connected to other black street gangs.
It is worth noting that Dave Turmel has appeared in a music video with Quebec City rapper Mizery, and has been photographed with Montreal rapper Cupidon.
For that reason, it is instructive to watch some of their music videos, as they bespeak a certain mentality which is about as subtle as a sledgehammer.
The CBC has reported that Turmel’s right-hand man (who was recently arrested in Portugal) is a black man named Roobens Denis, which confirms that the Blood Family Mafia is a multiracial gang.
The Blood Family Mafia name is also reminiscent of Black Mafia Family, an Atlanta-based street gang made famous by the Starz series BMF, which is now on its third season.
Could the name BFM been inspired by the BMF?
MARTY’S WAR
The current gang war in Quebec has been dubbed by some “Marty’s war”, in reference to Martin Robert, the top Hells Angel in Quebec and arguably the most powerful biker boss in North America.
According to some commentators, Marty Robert is attempting to wrest control of the Canadian underworld from the Italian Mafia, who have long been its top dogs.
I am tempted to speculate about what could be going on here, but I have decided to let the facts speak for themselves.
What follows is a list of some of the most notable events that have occurred in the past year.
If the reader is completely unaware with world of Canadian organized crime, I would encourage them to educate themselves about the events following mob boss Vito Rizzuto’s 2004 arrest and subsequent extradition to the U.S. This event is key to understanding the current war.
This video provides a helpful backgrounder:
Alternatively, you might want to watch the first season of the Bad Blood Netflix series, which may be the best Canadian TV show of all time.
The first season, although fictionalized, is reasonably historically accurate. I will give you a heads up, though - the second season is not based on real events (although it’s still pretty entertaining).
A TIMELINE OF THE QUEBEC DRUG WAR
MARCH 15th, 2023 - Leonardo Rizzuto Survives Assassination Attempt
On March 15th, the leader of the Rizzuto crime family, Leonardo Rizzuto, was attacked in gun men in Laval, Quebec, a city just North of the island of Montreal.
At the time, the Montreal Gazette reported that:
Leonardo Rizzuto, the youngest son of the late reputed Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, was injured in a shooting on a Laval highway in broad daylight on Wednesday.
A police source confirmed to Noovo Info that Rizzuto, 53, was shot in the leg while inside a vehicle. Around 4:40 p.m., he was driving a black Mercedes on Highway 440, near Highway 13 in Laval, when someone from another moving vehicle shot at his car.
He managed to drive off the highway and park his car in the parking lot of the Yves Légaré Funeral Complex, near rue Principale.
Rizzuto's older brother, Nicolo Rizzuto Jr., was assassinated in a shooting in Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood in 2009. The following year, his grandfather, Nicolo Sr., was shot in his home by a sniper.
It is widely believed that the Hells Angels orchestrated this attack.
MARCH 2023 - Numerous Hells Angels Attacked in and around Quebec City
In March of 2023, Hells Angels member Mathieu Pelletier’s residence was shot at. Then there was Dark Souls MC member and rapper Dominic ‘Fou Furieux’ Simard’s car that was set on fire. Finally, there was 2 businesses in Beauce, around an hour from Quebec City, that were burnt to the ground. Both businesses were related to the Hells Angels.
JUNE 2023 - RIZZUTO ASSOCIATED CHIT DEL BALSO MURDERED
In June 2023, a long-time Rizzuto associate named Chit Del Balso
According to veteran crime reporter Scott Burnstein, Del Balso was probably murdered by the Hells Angels. Although this might sound counter-intuitive, he may have been involved in the HA-backed attempt on Leonardo Rizzuto’s life, but was killed after it blew up in their faces.
SEPTEMBER 2023: Normand Marvin (Casper) Ouimet Released from Prison
Marvin “Casper” Ouimet is a high-ranking Hells Angels who had been serving a 14-year sentence for various gangsterism charges.
OCTOBER 2023 - Hells Angels Puppet Club members stabbed in Quebec City
According to The Dirty Newz:
In October, two Red Devils MC members, Ian Roy, 29, and 32 year old Jonathan Bergeron-Gosselin had been stabbed by Quebec City affiliated street gang members. The Red Devils are a HA support club.
NOVEMBER 17 - HAITIAN GANGSTER GREG “PICASSO” WOOLLEY SHOT DEAD
On November 17th, 2023, the Haitian-born gangster Greg Woolley was shot dead in a parking lot in front of his fiancee and their child. This was a major violation of the underworld code in Canada, which forbids murders in front of wives and children.
Greg Woolley was an underworld diplomat and powerbroker. He had ties to the Italian Mafia, the Hells Angels, and other groups.
According to veteran crime reporter Jerry Langton, he was most likely taken out by the Hells Angels, apparently due to a dispute related to sports gambling.
According to Wikipedia:
Woolley's funeral was attended by numerous Hells Angels, Rockers, Mafiosi and street gang members.Among those who attended Woolley's funeral were Leonardo Rizzuto, Pietro D'Adamo, and Giuseppe "Gator" Focarazzo of the Rizzuto family; Mario Brouillette and Richard "Bert" Mayrand of the Hells Angels; and the Haitian-Canadian Jean-Philippe Célestin of the Syndicate.
More recently, Scott Burnstein has speculated on the Original Gangsters YouTube channel that Marvin “Casper” Ouimet was the one who took out Greg Woolley, possibly because of an old beef.
NOVEMBER 27 - HELLS ANGELS MICHEL GUERIN MURDERED
On the morning of November 27th, Hells Angel Michel ‘Doune’ Guerin was killed by gunmen as he shovelled the entrance-way to his Quebec City home.
Word on the street is that Guerin had acted as a tax collector for the Hells Angels Quebec City chapter, making the meaning of this murder crystal clear.
Gangsters tend to agree with Marshall McLuhan - the medium is the message.
FEBRUARY 17, 2024 - BROTHER OF HAITIAN CRIME BOSS JEAN-PHILIPPE KILLED IN MONTREAL
On February 17th, Haitian-Canadian gangster Jean Brandon Celestin, the younger brother of powerful gang leader Jean-Philippe Célestin, was killed in Montreal’s Little Italy.
FEBRUARY 2024 - THREE HELLS ANGELS ASSOCIATES KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED, LEADING TO 21 ARRESTS
At least 21 people allegedly tied to a war over drug territory in eastern Quebec have so far been arrested in a provincial police operation that began last week.
More arrests are possible during Operation Scandaleux, which is targeting the running conflict between the Blood Family Mafia and the Hells Angels in the Quebec City area, the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, the Lower St-Lawrence and the North Shore, police said Monday.
Videos are circulating of people connected to the war allegedly being tortured and officers have met with certain individuals to warn them their lives are at risk, police said. The war between the two groups has led to at least one murder.
Among the arrested since the operation started Friday are eight men and two women between the ages of 21 and 59, all of whom were allegedly involved in a hostage taking on Feb. 19 that killed one and injured three in St-Malachie, Que., south of the provincial capital, said Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre.
Two of the suspects linked to that incident appeared in a Quebec City court on Monday, each charged with one count of kidnapping a victim identified only by initials, and with one count of aggravated assault by "injuring, mutilating, disfiguring and/or endangering one's life."
The coroner's office has identified Patrick Martin, 29, as the person who died in the alleged Feb. 19 hostage taking. Numerous reports say he was killed by someone he had kidnapped.
The Crown has denied bail to everyone involved in the St-Malachie case, and they are due back in court on Feb. 28.
FEBRUARY 23, 2024 - HELLS ANGELS ASSOCIATE KIDNAPPED IN SAGUENAY, TORTURED, MUTILATED, AND DROPPED OFF IN MONTREAL
According to CTV News:
A man with links to organized crime who was reported missing from Quebec's Saguenay region was found alive but mutilated in Montreal in what appears to be part of a rise in violence in the provincial capital between drug traffickers and the Hells Angels.
The 28-year-old man was found Thursday at around 2 a.m. in Rosemont with a missing toe and a missing finger, a source confirmed to CTV News.
The man, who is known to police and has links to the outlaw biker gang, was also allegedly beaten and whipped, and found covered in bruises. He sought help from a passerby, who brought him to hospital.
FEBRUARY 25, 2024 - QUEBEC POLICE COME TO THE DEFENCE OF THE HELLS ANGELS
On February 25th, Global News reported:
Sixteen suspects have been charged and 18 have been arrested in what authorities call a large-scale operation targeting organized crime in Quebec City this weekend.
About 100 officers from specialized units from various police forces including the RCMP were deployed. Led by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), raids began Friday evening at multiple establishments in and around the capital city targeting those involved in the conflict between what the SQ called the ‘Blood Family Mafia (BFM)’ gang and the Hells Angels crime organization.
The ongoing dispute has resulted in a worrying uptick in violence. Incidents included a hostage-taking last week in the town of St-Malachie, Que., where three men with ties to the Hells were, according to reports, taken hostage and tortured by members of the BFM group. One of the men escaped, killed the captor who was watching him and went to a nearby home to call police.
Three days later, the BFM is believed to have kidnapped another man linked to the Hells. He was reported missing from Saguenay, Que., and then dropped off hundreds of kilometers away in Montreal. Officials say he didn’t cooperate with police but was found mutilated. Local media reports allege that one of the man’s toes and fingers had been cut off.
MARCH 2024
In early March, Quebec City’s police force, the SPVQ, deployed hundreds of officers in a raid of over 40 locations, resulting in 30 arrests.
Although the raids appear to have targeted the Blood Family Mafia, the police insist they are not taking sides. Their job is, after all, to investigate crimes, just so happens that the Hells Angels, in this case, are the victims of violent crime.
Oh me, oh my. How the tables have turned!