It’s no doubt that since Gregory Woolley’s funeral, Jean-Philippe Celestin has been prevalent in the news more and more often. It started with simply showing up to Woolley’s funeral to pay his respects, then there was the incident where authorities had raided his home in Rosemere, on the North Shore of Montreal. Celestin’s family suffered a loss when Jean Brandon Celestin was riddled with bullets exiting a restaurant. And finally and most recently, where an associate of Celestin’s was killed in a bar brawl just a few days ago.
The code of honor among underworld figures seem to be less and less prevalent, as shown when individuals fired shots Saturday evening outside of Celestin’s mother’s place. From Woolley’s death, where he was shot in front of his family, to this incident, there seems to be no rules to the criminal underworld in Montreal. Is this the new norm?
At around 7pm on Saturday night, the humble adobe of the mother of Jean-Philippe Celestin was target to around three to four gunshots. The home was located on the Henri-Julien boulevard of Montreal. Authorities quickly set up a perimeter around the home. No one was hurt in the shooting that had occurred, but why would someone who would have Celestin in their sights aim towards his mother. It’s a reckless action, that is also senseless.
Celestin has been branded by the news throughout these unfortunate series of events as a ‘gang leader’ and nothing else. But which gang is he leading? Some say the Syndicate, of whom Gregory ‘Picasso’ Woolley had established in 1996, on the other hand, reports have confirmed he was wearing Marauders MC colors following the funeral of his brother, Jean Brandon Celestin. The Marauders MC are a puppet club to the Montreal Hells Angels MC. Although he did not flaunt the vest in public, there had been reports following the funeral of which he had been sporting it in an establishment.
Marauders MC member Eric Bleau, 41, was target to a search warrant in the summer of 2023, in late May. The seizure had taken place in Deux Montagnes, a region close to Montreal. The seizure was aimed at drug trafficking within the region. It was initiated by the ENCRO police operation, which is aimed at hindering organized crime in the Montreal region.
With all the major incidents taking place where Jean-Philippe Celestin’s name was thrown around, most notably the murder of his brother Brandon Celestin and the murder of associate Jessy Furtado-Benard in Terrebonne which had occurred a few days prior; is Jean-Philippe Celestin’s life in danger? We can sum up the murder of associate Jessy Furtado-Benard to an unexpected bar brawl, but clearly, someone is out to get Celestin. Might it be because he might know some secret in which Frederick Silva is spilling to the cops? The fact remains, it is too early to know yet.
