https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/...-auraient-enterre-la-hache-de-guerre.php"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," the saying goes.
Once locked in a bloody conflict, the Sicilian clan of the Montreal mafia and a group of Montreal Hells Angels led by Martin Robert have reportedly decided in recent months to make peace, in the face of the rise of emerging groups that threaten their dominance.
"Right now, we are seeing that there is indeed a potential truce between certain criminal groups, including the Hells Angels and the Italian mafia," says Francis Renaud, commander of the Organized Crime Division (Antigang) of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM).
In 2023, according to a police theory, Montreal Hells Angels and the Rizzuto clan clashed over control of illegal sports betting.
The conflict culminated in the attempted murder of Leonardo Rizzuto, youngest son of the late mafia boss Vito Rizzuto, in March 2023, and the murder of former clan lieutenant Francesco Del Balso three months later.
But since last year, groups described by police as “emerging” have begun encroaching on the turf of major criminal organizations and competing with them in traditional activities such as extortion and the import and distribution of cocaine.
At the same time, the Hells Angels have faced a rebellion in the eastern part of the province for over a year.
A “Union” is Strength
During the holidays, the host of a Detroit-based crime podcast in the United States reported—citing sources—that a peace had been reached between Martin Robert and Leonardo Rizzuto at a Montreal restaurant around mid-December.
In the days and weeks that followed, La Presse attempted, without success, to confirm the information with police, judicial, and criminal sources—until learning that in January, Pietro D’Adamo, whom police consider the protector of the Sicilian clan, had dinner with Martin Robert at a Montreal restaurant. Each man was reportedly accompanied by someone appearing to serve as security.
Without confirming this specific information, Commander Renaud says police have indeed observed a de-escalation between the Rizzuto clan and Martin Robert’s group.
"We’ve seen a truce between the two criminal organizations, and we’ve observed facts on the ground that demonstrate it. We believe there is currently a kind of alliance between certain criminal organizations, including the bikers and parts of the mafia, who have decided to either ally or at least enter into a non-aggression pact," Commander Renaud adds.
Uniting to Rule
Since the natural death of Vito Rizzuto in December 2013, the mafia, bikers, and gangs formed an alliance to control Montreal’s organized crime.
That alliance was dismantled in Operation Magot-Mastiff in November 2015, but continued until a conflict erupted in 2023 between the Sicilians and Martin Robert’s group, and gang leader Gregory Woolley—who held significant street power in Montreal—was assassinated in November of the same year.
Commander Renaud says that for the past few months, a relative calm has prevailed among high-level criminal organizations, as they are aware that the real threat is coming from below.
"We have emerging groups that want to take their place and are not intimidated by the words ‘bikers’ or ‘mafia.’ The mafia and the bikers have long faced dissenters wanting to replace them," he says.
"These emerging groups fear nothing. They will use violence, and that can become a problem for the mafia or the bikers."
— Francis Renaud, Commander of the SPVM Organized Crime Division
"Currently, on Montreal's organized crime chessboard, it’s not ‘divide and conquer’—it’s the opposite. We’re seeing ‘unite to rule.’ These organizations have no choice. Things are shifting, and certain criminal organizations must make alliances to survive—something we hadn’t seen in the past," says Renaud.
Merchants Targeted
La Presse has also found that incidents or acts of violence have targeted at least three merchants or entrepreneurs in the Saint-Léonard borough or the Little Italy neighborhood in recent weeks.
A pastry shop on Dante Street was notably shot at during the Easter long weekend, and it has been reported that some merchants are being asked to pay several thousand dollars per month in exchange for supposed protection.
According to Commander Renaud, there may not be a direct connection between all these incidents. He refuses, at least for now, to speak of a new wave of extortion, but adds that SPVM officers remain vigilant.
"Business owners who are being extorted or asked for money should call the police and report it before handing over a single cent. We have privileged information pointing to people who may currently be incarcerated. We have targets in our sights, and we’ll be watching closely," concludes Commander Renaud.
