There’s no denying that tensions in Quebec City are rising everyday concerning territory and drugs. Media have titled these incidents as a ‘Guerre de Stupefiants’ (Drug War), but is this really a war? Has it been declared? With the recent death of Michel ‘Doune’ Guerin, a major drug trafficker and Hells Angels associate murdered last November, and the criminal arson on three business this past week, not to mention, the numerous incidents in 2023. It would be safe to state this dilemma is definitely a conflict, but a war?
The tip of the peak to this landslide started at the beginning of 2023, when local drug dealer and head of the Blood Family Mafia, Dave ‘Pic’ Turmel found a GPS tracker under his car. He immediately took it as a threat, paranoid and rightly, so, he decided to retaliate. But who would’ve stuck a tracker under his car and why? To kill him? Turmel didn’t have to look far, as he bought his drug supply from HA Quebec City member, Mathieu Pelletier, son of ex-president Marc ‘Tom’ Pelletier who had lived through the Quebec Biker War. He had opposed to pay the 10% tax that the HA fined him for selling on their territory, being the province of Quebec.
Turmel did not waste any time in letting Mathieu Pelletier know that sticking a tracking device under his car was something off-limits to have done. Later in the year, shots were fired at Pelletier’s house in March of 2023, Dark Souls MC member and rapper Dominic ‘Fou Furieux’ Savard’s vehicle was set aflame along with 2 businesses that were associated to the powerful motorcycle club.
The first fire to take place was the burning of a vape store in La Pocatiere, a town to the south shore of Quebec City. It happened on the 10th of February at around 4:45am. The targeted vape shop was called Mastervape, located on 10th Avenue Potvin. Allegedly this business is associated to the Hells Angels.
The second incident took place in Beauport, a town also neighboring Quebec City but this time, on the North Shore. It occurred Tuesday, at an erotic message parlor which also housed apartments. Around ten people were put out on this street after the fire happened. This business was somehow linked to Marc ‘Marco’ Roberge, a member of the Quebec City chapter of HA.
A fire also took place last week, this time, the one of a strip club in Beauce, named Bar de L’O which took place at around 5:45am. All 3 of these incidents are suspected of having been involved in the Blood Family Mafia versus Hells Angels drug conflict.
On top of all the fires burning down businesses during the past year, the Levis police service raided a house in Saint-Jean-Chrysostome and seized multiple explosive devices that were linked to the Hells Angels during a drug raid.
The senior members of the HA Quebec City have recently been released for their implications in the ’90’s biker war with the Rock Machine. Certain older members have no interest in starting a full-out war with these street gangs and independent dealers. They do not want to risk prison-time, and possibly being incarcerated until their death. They’re willing to negotiate solely because they want to keep a low-profile.
Hells Angels in the province of Quebec are not ones to use a negotiation method, but rather to instill violence to the ones that disagree with their views. Although, most of the incidents that occurred in Quebec City, were targeted towards the motorcycle club and not the opposing side.
The Hells Angels want to negotiate. In other words, they don’t want the situation to escalate to the point where they risk their freedom.
The other four Hells Angels chapters throughout the province of Quebec are pressuring the Quebec City chapter to put an end to this conflict. Trois-Rivieres chapter’s new clubhouse in Herouxville was the target to a shooting which the Trois Rivieres’ chapter “did not find funny at all”. The clubhouse was targeted twice in 2 days. The Trois-Rivieres chapter has urged the Quebec City chapter to “deal with the problem” and put an end to the carnage.
Almost 20 incidents have occurred since last September. There is a police practice called ‘Duty-To-Warn’ which is when the law pays you a visit to let you know, you are a target, usually on a hit-list, according to information law enforcement have received from tips.
Last fall, policed put this practice to use, not only one time, but 25 times, with most targeted at bikers and their associates. Michel ‘Doune’ Guerin was also warned by police that he had been targeted. He was struck by gunshots in the early morning of November 27th, 2023.
We know that Dave ‘Pic’ Turmel is the leader of the Blood Family Mafia hailing from Quebec City and it’s south shore. We also know that Turmel, decided to go on the lam after a drug ring was debunked, which was linked to him, that took place last summer. His destination landed him to the continent of Europe. The provincial authorities still have no lead to which country he is seeking refuge in, but they seem to have an eye on Portugal. Turmel doesn’t seem to be missing in action, he still steering this drug war from over seas, as the captain of the ship. Quebec authorities have already warned Interpol.
How did he get his entry in the big leagues? Turmel was born on the 3rd of May, 1996 in the midst of the Quebec Biker War where the public began to be impartial to the rivalry, following the killing of Daniel Desrochers, an 11-year-old boy, in the neighborhood of Hochelaga. This was also the year Gerald Gallant, a hitman for the Rock Machine, murdered his first Hells Angels full patch member in a restaurant in Quebec City. The war claimed more than 160 lives throughout the span of 8 years. Turmel was born and raised in Levis, Quebec; a neighboring town and the south shore to Quebec City.
Growing up, Turmel came from a well-adjusted household, but this did not prevent him from getting expelled from kindergarten at such a young age.
In 2014, on his 18th birthday, Turmel showed up with what looked like 300 other people wanting entry to Bar Le Xanthie sipping liquor straight from the bottle. The owner of the bar later stated how rude he was that night. A brawl had eventually started in the parking lot of the bar. Turmel whipped out a knife and stabbed a 20-year-old man in the ribs as well as the hip. A 16-year-old was also stabbed, the wound perforated his lung. Luckily, a patron of the bar was a nurse and administered first aid to the victims.
Turmel was later stuck with two attempted murder charges. While he was detained, prison personnel found a hand-made shank on him. He pleaded guilty for exchange of a lesser charge and was convicted of 22 months with time served. His probation officer later stated that he needs to work on his anger management and his liking for violence.
After Turmel had served his time, he gravitated towards building his own drug empire. He slowly climbed up the ranks until he eventually was buying his supply of the Hells Angels; most notably, Mathieu Pelletier, son of HA ex-president Marc ‘Tom’ Pelletier. During this time, he also ventured into the business of prostitution. An ex-prostitute that had worked for Turmel had said, in an interview with Felix Seguin, that he was an aggressive being, and later stated that he looked up to criminal figures and aspired to be like them.
In March of 2019, Turmel landed another sentence in prison for having been caught carrying a .45 caliber handgun on him in Montreal. He received a light sentence of 12 months. He would eventually take to the throne of the Blood Family Mafia, a group in which authorities have deemed a street gang with ties to the Profit Boys.
Since 2019, Turmel ruled with an iron fist through intimidation and action. The BFM is linked to dozens of shootings around the nation’s capital of Quebec City with statements from individuals he had filmed and tortured, cutting off fingers or ears.
Turmel was also good at recruiting members. In December of 2023, three individuals were arrested on their way to commit a murder at the expense of bikers. One of which, was a man by the name of Vince Bergeron. Bergeron’s father, Mario Bergeron, was a member of the Quebec City Hells Angels. He was murdered in 2008 in what was known as an internal purge within the MC according to informant and ex-HA member Dayle Fredette. Vince had wanted revenge, hence, Turmel recruited him.
So does all this information concur that there is presently a drug war in the region of Quebec City? It hasn’t been declared yet, but we’ll certainly know in the near future with all the ‘shots’ being fired toward the reigning motorcycle club. Will they take a seat at the negotiation table, or keep on with their spree of fire and bullets.
