MONTREAL – A string of fires set in Italian cafes in Montreal beginning last September could be the start of a turf war between rival Mafia groups.Montreal police deputy Chief Jacques Robinette said one possibility could be the rivaly between Mafia clans based in Montreal, with one group made up of members of Sicilian origin and the other of Calabrian background.
But he also said investigators haven't discounted the possibility that a group of Mafiosi from Toronto is exerting pressure on the Montreal Mob when it appears to be experiencing a leadership void.
Vito Rizzuto, 63, the man reputed to be the leader of the Montreal Mafia for decades, is serving a 12-year sentence in the U.S. for a racketeering conviction involving the 1981 murders of three mobsters in New York.His arrest and conviction were followed by convictions of six men, including Rizzuto's father, Nicolo, who turns 86 this week, who acted as leaders of the organization.
So far, the only person arrested and linked to one of the arsons has ties to a Montreal street gang.Robinette said drug trafficking might ultimately be behind the fires, "but probably intimidation is a good answer, as well. Probably the takeover, between separate groups, Calabrian and Sicilian, is a right answer as well."
A special squad of least 20 officers from various Montreal police divisions has been assigned to investigate the fires.
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