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The brazen midday assassination of a notable Montreal underworld figure inside a suburban Starbucks recently could signal a emerging, more volatile and brash environment when it comes to organised crime, experts note.

Leadership Void Developing

The arrests of suspected high-ranking, established members of the city's organized crime in June has likely resulted in a vacuum – meaning emerging, less experienced gangs are working to secure territory.

Violent Attack Details

Law enforcement stated at a media update that they were called to a Starbucks in the Quebec municipality at about late morning on Wednesday because of alerts of a violent incident inside the coffee shop. An individual was killed and two others were hurt.

Victim Identification

While investigators have not confirmed the deceased's identity, several news organizations have reported the man killed was a convicted drug trafficker, four decades old, also known by an street name. The man was the leader of a gang operating in the area.

Authority Comments

The province's security official commented: "Everything indicates it being an event connected with underworld activities."

The local police chief informed reporters that while he could not provide details on the case, he recognizes the man targeted due to his "criminal record". "The individual was associated with underworld activities," he said.

Past Record

The deceased was first associated publicly to unlawful behavior in 2005 when law enforcement in Montreal arrested him and several accomplices in a drug trafficking investigation. He ended up confessing on drug-related charges and was received to 24 months in prison.

According to records, the person was arrested for a subsequent occasion in the late 2000s, again for narcotics distribution, and was later sentenced to another five years in prison.

Expert Analysis

A university expert said that organised crime in the area used to be characterised around showing discretion over visible conflicts and counted on a defined leadership system.

An audacious public killing at a popular café suggests there may not be a controlling entity maintaining control – as conflict could impact business when it comes to narcotics distribution, said the expert.

Organizational Breakdown

The analyst stated it is plausible that the group which eliminated the gang leader simply "did not care" about the visible exhibition of aggression in order to eliminate their target.

But the expert said more likely is there has been a decline of organization and control within organised crime in Montreal, associated with significant detentions of the alleged chiefs of local criminal networks made in June.

Major Apprehensions

After a 36-month investigation, authorities took into custody an purported mafia leader and charged him with homicide and other related crimes.

Existing Conditions

The latest arrests were viewed as the final "final straw" for the established underworld hierarchy, noted the expert.

It has resulted in a hole that younger urban organizations are looking to fill. The Wednesday's violence is an indication of an uncertain, changing situation, he noted.

"We're seeing kind of this abundance of lesser, not super well-organised gangs ... that are competing for dominance," he concluded.