Political Science

The Italian Mafia has been present in Canada for a long time.  The most prominent Mafia family, which was also among the first to settle in is the Cotroni family.  This family, which is also referred to as the Calabria Cotroni, moved to Montreal in 1934 (Lamothe and Humphreys 56).  It then began to establish itself into the Mafia rings of the city.

By the 1940s the Calabria Cotroni ran a number of both legal and illegal businesses in and around Montreal.  Under the leadership of Vic Cotroni, the Mafia group established extortion rings, drug smuggling operations, protection rackets, and labor racketeering and loan sharking operations.  On the flip side, Vic Cotroni also owned and controlled legally established construction companies, ice-cream manufacturing firms, food importing firms and distribution operations, hotels, restaurants and bars (Schneider 257).

In the 1970s, with the Mafia entrenched in the economic, social and political circles of the Montreal society, there began to emerge divisions within the Italian Mafia.  These divisions were evident not only within the Cotroni family but also the various leadership ranks and members of the Mafia (Schneider 259).  It was also during this period that personalities like Paolo Violi emerged as a formidable leadership force within the Cotroni decina (260).  Paolo Violi was later appointed the interim leader or underboss of the Mafia group in 1974 (274).

In 1973, there began a feud over the control of the Mafia activities and criminal activities in Canada.  In 1970, Niccolo Rizzuto, a long-time nemesis of Violi, succeeded in killing him.  He took control of all criminal activities in Canada in 1984 following the death of Vincent Cotroni.  Niccolo was convicted for cocaine trafficking in 1988 and left his son, Vito Rizzuto to become the boss of the Mafia family (Manning 195).

With the Rizzuto family at the helm of its leadership, the Mafia in Montreal controls most of the citys criminal activities.  It is most recognized for controlling gambling activities that consist of book making, video poker machines and casino operations.  The Montreal Mafia is also involved in narcotics, extortion, corruption and money laundering (196).

In 2000, feuds within the Mafia society emerged again.  This time, Vito Rizzuto was being targeted for assassination from individuals from both within the Montreal Mafia and outside gangs (550).  On May 4th 2007, after a series of brushes with the authorities, Vito Rizzuto pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge and was handed a ten year sentence (552).

There exist many similarities between Mafia activities in Montreal and in America.  Noteworthy is the fact that both of them engage in similar practices like drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crime.  Both also infiltrate legitimate enterprises and politics.  It is however imperative to note that the American Mafia is seen to be continuously adopting to the changing law enforcement mechanisms while continuing to maintain its historical practices (Mallory 102).  This has made it more difficult for authorities to curtail them. 

On the other hand, the Canadian government has in the recent past made a significant headway in efforts to stop organized crime.  It has had successful police round-ups of gang members, made arrests of important Mafia leadership and reduced the increase of organized crime activities in its cities.
In addition to the Mafia, Montreal has a number of gangs operating in the city.  The two dominant gang groups are the Hells Angels and the Haitians.  The Hells Angels are the most powerful and arguably the largest motorcycle club.  They are involved in money laundering, murder, theft, loan-sharking, counterfeiting, extortion, prostitution and strip clubs.  Unlike the Mafia that dominates the trade of hard drugs like heroine and cocaine, the Hells Angels are involved in cultivation of Marijuana and trafficking of Methamphetamine, LSD and ecstasy (Liddick 43)

What is clear is that when the strength or control of one organized crime group goes down, there is always another ready to take its place.  The demise of the Hells Angels following a police round up was quickly replaced by the Mafia.  This was in turn brought to a halt by the arrest of the Mafia leaders leaving room for the Haitians to take over (Montreal Gazette 1).

According to a Montreal Gazette report on the 29th of December 2009, Nick Rizzuto Junior, the son of Vito Rizzuto was shot dead.  With Vito serving his sentence, the death of his son means that the Montreal Mafia has been significantly weakened.  As had been noted earlier, the weakening of one group in Montreal usually proves to be advantageous for another.  Without the Mafia any other gang, street or otherwise is able to take over.   It is therefore possible that either the Hells Angels or the Haitians are responsible for Nick Juniors death in an attempt to gain supremacy.

Another theory that may suffice to explain the killing of Nick Rizzuto junior may be that his death was to avenge the burning down of the Hells Angels bunker in 2008.  It is evident that the incident was a blow to the Hells Angels and that it could have been done by any of the existing organized criminal groups in Montreal.  It is possible that the death of Nick junior was over suspicion of the Mafias involvement in the fire.

The killing of Nick Rizzuto, coupled with the burning down of the Hells Angels banker has created worry of impending feuds between the organized crime groups in Montreal. The Montreal Gazette rightfully terms as Quebec is in for a war, is an illustration of the possible troubles that Canada is likely to face if the existing suspicion between the groups continues.