Operation SCANDALOUS: “We gave it a good shot, but it’s not over”

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Chief Inspector Michel Patenaude, director of criminal investigations of the Sûreté du Québec, Captain Marie-Manon Savard, responsible for investigations and specialized services of the Quebec City Police Department, the deputy director of the Police Department police of the City of Lévis, Mr. Réjean Langlois, and Captain Jean-François Imbeault, of the criminal investigations department of the Saguenay Police Department.

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Four police forces, including the Sûreté du Québec, affirm that operation SCANDALEUX to put an end to an increase in violence between criminalized groups in the greater Quebec region has borne fruit, but that work remains to be done .

Our objective was to arrest the main actors linked to the conflict. Our message is clear: we do not tolerate such violent behavior in Quebec, said Chief Inspector Michel Patenaude, director of criminal investigations for the Sûreté du Québec, accompanied by the police services of Quebec, Lévis and Saguenay.

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Chief Inspector Michel Patenaude, director of criminal investigations for the Sûreté du Québec, provides an update on Operation SCANDALEUX, Wednesday, at SQ headquarters in Quebec.

For several months, a conflict has opposed the Hells Angels and the Blood Family Mafia (BFM), which brings together independent traffickers in the world of drugs. This group is believed to be led by Dave “Pic” Turmel, who is still wanted.

The SQ is now talking about 32 people arrested in recent days, around forty searches , as well as seizures of firearms, high-capacity magazines, narcotics and evidence linked to the various events. Montreal, Longueuil, Saguenay and Sept-Îles were targeted, in particular.

A man was also apprehended in Ontario Wednesday evening relating to the kidnapping of a person in Saguenay.

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According to the SPVQ, Dave Turmel is the leader of the Blood Mafia Family (BFM), which is waging a war against the Hells Angels in the world of narcotics.

The operation in recent days, which involved more than 100 police officers, was carried out as part of the SQ's CENTAURE strategy which aims to combat armed violence. It also aimed to show the population the presence of police officers in the area.

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We gave it a good shot, but it's not over. It's a start. We adapt and react according to the different levels of threat. […] We're going to keep the pressure on.

A quote from Michel Patenaude, director of criminal investigations for the Sûreté du Québec

We are maintaining the necessary efforts and will closely follow the legal processes. Further arrests are expected in the near future, adds the chief inspector.

Asked why the police waited before making such interventions, Michel Patenaude replied that different strategies had been implemented in recent months. This has been adapted due to the events of recent days. We provided a quick and immediate response, which needed to be done. A response with a little more visibility, unlike the investigations, which are more secret.

The events of Saint- Malachi and a kidnapping in Saguenay pushed the police to react, according to him. Independent BFM resellers have been particularly targeted in recent days, agrees Michel Patenaude. However, criminals associated with the Hells Angels could also be targeted, adds the chief inspector.

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The Saint-Damien road in Saint-Malachie was closed between the 2nd and 10th Rang for several hours on Monday.

Captain Marie-Manon Savard, responsible for investigations and specialized services at the Quebec City Police Department, estimates the number of arrests made by her police officers in the last week alone at 12. All these arrests are linked to the BFM.

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Captain Marie-Manon Savard, responsible for investigations and specialized services at the Quebec City Police Department

The Quebec City Police Department also specified that it had apprehended six new individuals, including two with the help of the SQ, Thursday morning.

Vince Bergeron, 26, Christopher Fafard, 22, Sébastien Rodrigue, 26, and Audrey Lessard, 27 years old, were wanted by way of an arrest warrant. Other suspects who were also wanted in connection with SPVQ files, namely Keven Bédard Morin, 30 years old, and Déreck Morin Martel, 22 years old, were arrested outside our territory in collaboration with the Sûreté du Québec, specify the police.

The suspects are detained and were scheduled to appear Thursday at the Quebec courthouse or by videoconference.

With the exception of Mr. Fafard and Mr. Rodrigue, who were arrested in connection with trafficking of narcotics, all the other individuals were arrested for armed assault and kidnapping, adds the SPVQ.

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Former biker Michel Guérin, nicknamed “Doune”, was killed in front of his residence in Charlesbourg on November 27.

In total, 545 people have been arrested since the start of the MALSAIN strategy in 2019, which fights against armed violence in the Quebec capital.

No less than twenty events have taken place in Lévis since the fall in connection with this conflict between the Hells Angels and an independent group of drug traffickers, warns the deputy director from the Police Department of the City of Lévis, Réjean Langlois.

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The deputy director of the Police Department of the City of Lévis, Réjean Langlois

The people and criminals involved in Lévis are essentially the same as those dealt with by our police partners, believes Mr. Langlois.

The number of files transferred to investigators has also increased since the fall on the South Shore. A dozen people are also the subject of criminal charges.

A task force that specifically targets the current conflict has been established at the SPVL. Investigators and a team leader are assigned full time, explains Réjean Langlois. An operation carried out in October also required the work of nearly 70 police officers.

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