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CONFLICT WITHIN THE MAFIA
CLAN LEADERS TRY TO BURY THE HATCHET
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE Jan.27,2017

Several meetings have been held since the end of last fall between clan leaders and influential individuals linked to the Montreal and Toronto mafias with the aim of ending the bloody conflict that undermines the Italian organized crime of the metropolis of Quebec since a dozen years, learned the Press .

These efforts would, however, be jeopardized, at least for the moment, by the obstinacy of the last members of the Sicilian clan, in particular the one considered by the police until the fall of 2015 as one of the leaders of the Montreal mafia, Stefano Sollecito.

According to police and criminal sources, he would refuse to cede certain illegal activities, including the lucrative book sports betting, whose revenues would allow him to continue to battle and finance certain operations.

It is particularly in this context that two hairdressing salons belonging to the wife of the manager of sports betting of the mafia were the target of incendiaries in Laval at the beginning of the month.

"Sollecito does not want to hand over the book of bets. There are currently contracts on the heads of several people. It is he who is the cause of the continuation of the war ", told La Presse a police source very familiar with the matter.

Since the murder of Giovanni Bertolo in August 2005 - regarded by the police as the triggering event - the power struggles of the various factions of the Montreal mafia would be the motive of at least 35 murders, ten murder attempts or attacks, according to a tally of La Presse .

The last victim of these internal conflicts is Ali Awada, 28, killed in Montreal-North on January 13. According to the police, Awada was close to the Scoppa and Sucapane clans.

VISITORS FROM TORONTO
But since late fall, police have repeatedly observed individuals linked to the Toronto Mafia come to Montreal and participate in meetings. The influential and independent Montreal clan leader Andrew Scoppa reportedly took part in one of them last December. It seems that even individuals who have been associated directly and have been always with the former Rizzuto clan militate for peace.

"Toronto has always played a role. Remember that on his return from the United States in 2012, Vito Rizzuto first visited the Queen City. Montreal mafia clan leaders have strong ties with Toronto, "says a criminal.

"In the last 30 years, Sicilians, Calabrians, everyone was connected. There are more whites, Blacks, Yellow, everyone works together, "said this week in La Presse a man near the criminal world.

"War must stop, it's not good for business. Fathers and sons die, women and children are in mourning. "

- A man close to the criminal milieu

The table of direction of the mafia set up after the natural death of the godfather Vito Rizzuto no longer exists. Observers from the police and criminal communities believe that a possible peace would lead to a new mafia alliance composed of representatives from the Calabrian, Sicilian and other branches rather than the advent of a new sponsor and a new dominant family. This future alliance would work in partnership with the Hells Angels, who for the moment at least would not intend to get involved in the problems of the mafia.

"Never will anyone come from elsewhere, from Ontario, New York or Italy, to lead the Montreal mafia, it would not happen. There are too many strong men here to let this happen, "added our close interlocutor, suggesting that if Toronto mafios meet with their counterparts here in Montreal, it will not be in the lead role. The future will tell, observers believe. observers.

ORGANIZED CRIME
STEFANO SOLLECITO
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
Until Operation Magot de la SQ, which decapitated Montreal organized crime on November 19, 2015, Stefano Sollecito was considered by the police as one of the leaders of the mafia, along with Leonardo Rizzuto, the son of the late sponsor . He has since been accused of conspiracy and gangsterism, but has been released pending further legal proceedings. He is the son of Rocco Sollecito, former number 3 of the Sicilian clan, killed in Laval in May 2016. Stefano Sollecito suffers from a serious illness.

ORGANIZED CRIME
ANDREW SCOPPA
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
He is currently considered by the police to be one of the most influential clan leaders in the Montreal mafia. According to our sources, he was reportedly seen with individuals from Toronto at a meeting to bring peace, which was held in Montreal last December. Scoppa could however have a sword of Damocles over his head. Last fall, he was arrested by the Sûreté du Québec in connection with a major seizure of cocaine, but has still not been charged.

ORGANIZED CRIME
LIBORIO [BadWord]
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
He is the son of Agostino [BadWord], nicknamed the lord of Saint-Léonard, murdered before his company John & Dino in Saint-Léonard, in June 2010. The [BadWord] have been associated for decades with the Rizzuto clan but Liborio [BadWord], aka Pancho , Would militate now to bring peace to the factions. [BadWord] is accused of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and cocaine trafficking following his arrest in May 2016 in the latest wave of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Clemenza investigation.

ORGANIZED CRIME
GIANPIETRO TIBERIO
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
At the head of a towing company, Gianpietro Tiberio is considered by the police to be a rising star of organized crime in Montreal. It would be linked to the mafia, but would be even closer to the Hells Angels. Tiberio, whose castle would be the Rivière-des-Prairies district in eastern Montreal, would also militate for peace, sources said.

ORGANIZED CRIME
ANTONIO PIETRANTONIO AND THE ARCURI BROTHERS
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
These three individuals formerly associated with the Rizzuto clan would seek to take up more space, according to sources from the police and criminal circles. Pietrantonio was the victim of an attempted murder in December 2011. He had close ties with influential members of the Hells Angels. The names of brothers Antonino and Domenico Arcuri were cited during the work of the Charbonneau commission. Associés of Raynald Desjardins in the late 2000s, they quarreled with the latter when a conflict broke out among the clans who tried to overthrow the Rizzuto in 2010.

ORGANIZED CRIME
VITTORIO MIRARCHI, RAYNALD DESJARDINS AND ALESSANDRO SUCAPANE
DANIEL RENAUD
LA PRESSE
The three allies are in prison or in the penitentiary, but will continue to pull some strings, according to our information. Sources believe they may be involved in some events that have shaken the mafia in recent months. Others believe that they have placed themselves a little apart, waiting for the rest of things. But everyone agrees on a fact: they should not be taken for granted.

Last edited by Ciment; 01/27/17 08:32 AM.