We’ve been covering the emergence of the Blood Family Mafia consistently since the strife with the HAMC Quebec City Chapter had started a little before the turn of the new year. The street gang has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The most hectic event for BFM had occurred in February, when police launched an operation in which 36 members and associates were arrested throughout ‘Projet SCANDALEUX’. When the dust settled, we almost thought the war was over, until the criminal arsons and bullets kept flying to the east of the province.
So, what is it this time? If you’ve been following our saga on this drug war, you know that Roobens Denis was standing trial in court at the beginning of the month, basically begging the judge for a psychiatrist and claiming he himself could act as his lawyer. Normally a ‘big-boned’ man, Denis was thin and frail when apprehended by authorities. Did the pressure of media coverage render this man to the state that he is in? Or was it the stress of facing the charges he had been accused of?
Denis’ court case was delayed by another 14 days until he received a psychiatric evaluation. Last week, on Wednesday (17/07/2024), 14 days had passed, and the results came in. “It appears that all this was only a dilatory scheme” presented Fabien Villemaire in court, meaning the scheme was only to delay the court process.
But was it really? With the immense weight loss that Denis had gone through and the pressure from authorities, it could hurt anyone’s psyche, not to mention being locked up in a cage for 5 months awaiting the fate of your future. Roobens Denis is being represented by a newly appointed lawyer by the name of Samuel Cozak. The question remains; did Denis bite off more than he could chew, or was it only a scheme to make a tardy sentencing of his case? Only God knows.
Nearly 3 weeks after his arrest in Kelowna, British Columbia, 28-year-old BFM gang member, Guillaume St-Louis Bernier had his second court date via video conference. The individuals present in his court appearance were shocked to see the state St-Louis Bernier, bruised and battered, his lawyer was worried for the safety of his life. Beaten to a pulp while held at Roberval Detention Facility before his appearance in front of the judge. Notably, with two severely bruised eyes, it’s safe to say that St-Louis Bernier has had it rough since his arrest.
Guillaume St-Louis Bernier had been on the run from authorities since March of 2024, evading a Canada-wide warrant in relation to drug trafficking and being in possession of stolen goods. It’s important to note that he stood by Dave ‘Pic’ Turmel, BFM’s gang leader, from the beginning with drug trafficking charges being laid out in front of him in August of 2023. St-Louis Bernier was apprehended in Kelowna, British Columbia on June 30th, 2024 by Quebec authorities and was shipped back to the province of Quebec on July 5th, 2024. His first court date appearance was on July 6th. His next court date has been set on the 24th of July.
One of the 36 individuals arrested in the ‘Projet SCANDALEUX’ police operation was a man by the name of Maxime Maheux. Maheux was accused of a criminal arson which took place in the municipality of Sainte-Marguerite, on Boulevard Industrielle on October 31st, 2023. This wasn’t the only criminal arson that he was implicated in, last week, he stood trial and plead guilty to the Sainte-Marguerite arson, as well as another criminal arson which took place in Saint-Isidore.
One of the buildings he set arson in was the meeting place for the Dark Souls MC, a support club for the HAMC. Maheux had also participated in a break & entry where an individual was severely beaten. Maheux had a drug addiction in which he was offered several ‘jobs’ in order to fund his problem, his lawyer, Carole-Ann Gagnon pleaded. After all was said and done, the judge had handed him a 5 year prison sentence for his actions.
The BFM street gang is facing tough times in Quebec, there is no doubt. They have already bounced back from times like these in the past and I have no doubt in my mind that they can bounce back again from the onslaught of bad news they have been facing in these past few weeks. Support for the gang gaining momentum from individual and street gangs at a high pace. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, Quebec is a biker province. But times are changing, people are taking sides which leads to an indeterminable future for the face of crime in the province of Quebec.
