The whole province of Quebec is witnessing a surgence of street gangs, from east to west, reaching the small towns located north and south of the province, there is no lack of them. A few recurring names such as the Blood Family Mafia, Profit Boyz, Zone 43, STL, EGK, 24 Gang, Flame Head Boys, Le Regiment, Rollin’ ’90s and Arab Power seem to be making headlines in the news and media almost weekly. A far stretch from the onslaught of motorcycle clubs the province saw in the second half of the 1900’s and the city’s rich history with La Cosa Nostra.
One of these street gang’s previously mentioned is dubbed ‘Arab Power’. Little has been known about this crew, but they previously gained traction with a few ‘ballsy’ extortion attempts within the last few weeks. This included a major arson in the Old Montreal borough of the city which had taken place on October 4th. Two names that keep coming up in relation to the leadership of this street gang are Youness ‘Frerot’ Aithaqi and Sylvain ‘Haboub’ Kabbouchi, who are currently serving bids in prison.
Arab Power
Arab Power has only been active for a few years, although they have gained immense traction within those years. Their main sources of income rely on drug trafficking and arms trafficking. These two sources of income bring in a hefty sum of money which permits the street gang to climb ranks in the province’s criminal hierarchy. Arab Power works directly with ‘STL’, another predominantly Arab street gang hailing from the Saint-Leonard borough of Montreal. STL and Arab Power are also in cahoots with the Profit Boyz, a predominantly black street gang from the Riviere-des-Prairies borough of Montreal.
Certain Arab Power soldier’s name had come up when authorities were investigating the death of Gregory ‘Picasso’ Woolley. Woolley had acted as a mediator between street gangs, motorcycle clubs and the Rizzuto clan but was fatally shot to death in front of his wife and 3-day-old baby in broad daylight outside of a health clinic in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The hit occurred on November 17th of 2023. An era where numerous conflicts with many different factions of the province started taking place.
The fact that Arab Power is geared against Jean-Philippe Celestin and numerous motorcycle clubs is well-known to authorities. It has been allegedly said that Arab Power was the gang which commissioned the 14-year-old who was killed while attempting to burn down the Red Devils MC clubhouse in Frampton, located near Quebec City. The teenager was also alleged to be involved with ‘Everybody Gets Killed’ or EGK, a branch of STL.
But who are the heads of Arab Power? Surely, we would have heard of them throughout the few years in which they’ve established themselves. Only now do we know that two of the influential leaders for Arab Power are both in prison; 35-year-old Youness ‘Frerot’ Aithaqi and 25-year-old Sylvain ‘Haboub’ Kabbouchi.
Youness ‘Frerot’ Aithaqi
Youness ‘Frerot’ Aithaqi is currently serving a sentence for the first degree murder of Joseph Sarikakis which occurred on the 18th of August, 2016. Aithaqi received his sentence in February of 2020, a whopping 25 years to life without possibility of parole until 25 years have been served. The murder occurred in broad daylight in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough of the city. Stephane Rioux, a police officer taking part in an investigation at the time, witnessed the murder.
Rioux witnessed Aithaqi gun Sarikakis down in broad daylight, which he then followed to an empty parking lot in Pointe-Claire only to see Aithaqi proceed to change the license plates of the vehicle he was commuting in. ‘Frerot’ Athaqi then got rid of the firearm implicated in the murder near a boat ramp on Ile-Bizard. Hydro-Quebec employees on their lunch break had witnessed Aithaqi discarding the firearm. Aithaqi was arrested only a few hours later at Cegep Gerald-Godin.
An SPVM diving team was sent out in the waters near the boat ramp on Ile-Bizard the next day, recuperating the firearm used in the crime. Investigators had four different pictures the day of the crime of Aithaqi speaking to Marckens Vilme, a figure which we have previously covered being implicated in the murder of Hells Angels MC member Michael Deabaitua-Schulde in Mississauga.
Syvlain ‘Haboub’ Kabbouchi
Sylvain ‘Haboub’ Kabbouchi’s criminal career stems from the BLOCC Mafia, or Cho BLOCC Mafia, a street gang hailing from the Chomedy borough of Laval. We’ve briefly spoken about this man in the past and the fact he was involved in Nitchell ‘Crank’ Lapaix’s death. Lapaix was shot on August 17th, 2021 outside of ‘Crazy Moon’ a strip club located in Laval.
Kabbouchi hadn’t acted alone the night of Lapaix’s death but rather with a partner in crime. His partner; Tareck Youssef Baydoun. Both Kabbouchi and Baydoun were later arrested in December of 2022 and stood trial for the murder. But why ‘Crank’ Lapaix? The answer is simple; Lapaix acted as Jean-Philippe Celestin’s right hand man at the time, Celestin being an enemy of Kabbouchi and Arab Power.
‘Crank’ Lapaix was 27 when he was shot down, Kabbouchi was only 23-years-old. Kabbouchi passed in court in December, while concurrently being incarcerated for a home invasion and kidnapping of a pregnant woman. This event had occurred concerning a bitcoin transaction that went awry in January of 2022. In December of 2021, Kabbouchi was caught with 2 kilograms of carfentanyl in Granby, Quebec. Later on, he was arrested for unloading a firearm during a Boisbriand robbery. All these events occurred before the murder of Lapaix.
Kabbouchi had managed to escape not one, but two attempted hits on his life. While incarcerated at Riviere-des-Prairies, an informant, or snitch, had his tongue cut off in a classic cartel fashion. Kabbouchi denies his involvement in the attack although authorities suspected that he may have been the instigator. Hence, he was never interrogated for the attack.
Authorities gave Kabbouchi a hard time while incarcerated. On the streets, police deemed the 25-year-old man as highly violent. Given this profile, authorities behind prison walls took extra precaution, placing him in a high-risk sector of the prison. Kabbouchi wanted to meet with prison personnel only to fall on deaf ears. He replied by burning the plexiglass window of his cell with the heating elements of a toaster. This occurred only days after the attack on the informant.
His lawyer told media that he is withheld access to education and activities behind bars. Kabbouchi also states the fact that he doesn’t have access to a TV that functions as well as having a faulty fridge. He also complained about how the air in his cell is affecting his health. His prison cell is searched weekly.
Kabbouchi later faced disciplinary action from prison personnel after a search had brought up a pair of brass knuckles, made from the very same toaster he had burnt the plexiglass of his cell with, tobacco and a heating plate in his cell. Kabbouchi once ordered pizza, mocking the authorities, the higher-ups had a hard time understanding while the prison guards had a laugh.
‘Haboub’ Kabbouchi was arrested once again in prison for the murders of Noel Garcia-Frias and Owusu ‘Steady’ Tajudeen. Kabbouchi wasn’t the only one arrested for these murders but had four other co-accused peers; Andrea Donet, Bradley Barthelus (24 Gang), Romuald ‘Buck’ Surin (24 Gang) and Felix Tremblay. The five arrests came a week after authorities arrested four other people that might have had info on the murders. The first batch of arrestees are as mentioned; Johnny ‘Jooz’ Odiesse (Flame Head Boys), Jack ‘Jacky Shehata, William Beauvais-Bazile and M’hammed ‘Momo Burberry’ Berberi (Arab Power).
M’hammed ‘Momo Burberry’ Berberi once claimed allegiance to the ’26 Gang (Le Regiment)’. After a stint in prison, he had chosen to switch sides, taking up allegiance to ‘Arab Power’. Arab power is in cahoots with the ’24 Gang’ and the ‘Flame Head Boys’, both influential Laval street gangs. Berberi was in prison while the two shooting deaths had occurred.
Berberi had been implicated in a crime which had occurred on July 7th of 2021, when he had tried to do an armed robbery on a Range Rover in LaSalle. Berberi had partly entered the vehicle demanding the occupants of their belongings while the SUV sped off. Berberi fired of multiple shots in the heat of the moment. On May 10th, 2024, he pleaded guilty to multiple charges relating to the event and was sentenced to seven years.
The strife between the ’24 Gang’ and the ’26 Gang’ had allegedly occurred during a brawl that had taken place in a Laval mall, ‘Carrefour Laval’. It occurred at a Simon’s boutique on the 21st of July, 2023 and included ‘Steady’ Tajudeen (26 Gang) and Romuald ‘Buck’ Surin (24 Gang).
On June 16th, 2023, Noel Garcia-Frias was targeted and shot outside of his Charlemange home. He was 32 at the time and drove an Audi Q8. A car similar to what Owusu ‘Steady’ Tajudeen drove at the time. Garcia-Frias was no criminal, leading authorities to believe the shooting was a case of mistaken identity. Only weeks later, in August Owusu ‘Steady’ Tajudeen, a member of the ’26 Gang’ and the intended target.
Owusu ‘Steady’ Tajudeen’s murder came on August 7th of 2023. In the wee-hours of the morning, while exiting a shisha bar, towards 3:30am Tajudeen was gunned down. The incident had occurred outside the doors of L’Arabesque shisha bar near the intersection of Ste-Catherines and Guy. Tajudeen was 28-years-old.
Sylvain ‘Haboub’ Kabouchi’s implication in this crime is unknown since the man was already behind bars at the time of the Tajudeen & Garcia-Frias murders. It’s unknown whether Berberri and Kabbouchi even had a say in the murders committed while being locked up.
Authorities believe Arab Power is at the heart of an extortion ‘war’ currently occurring in Montreal. Throughout the past months we have seen a lot of ‘brash’ extortion attempts throughout the city, with certain groups trying to extort a ridiculous amount of money from several different businesses located throughout the island. This is definitely not your average mafia clan extortion attempt, with the suspects demanding sums up to 100,000$. As was the case of MAU, a restaurant located downtown in which a suspect had barged into the establishment with a hammer and started causing damage.
An arson which police believe had started off as a simple extortion attempt would be the one which targeted 400 Notre-Dame Street East which had taken two lives, Leonor Geraudie, 48, and her daughter of only 7-years-old. Nothing has been proved yet but authorities have reason to believe this particular arson might have been commissioned by the Arab Power.
Other extortion attempts have been made on local businesses, one that has been recorded through the security cameras and released to the public in hopes of shedding light to this epidemic. As mentioned previously, the two incidents are only alleged to be tied to Arab Power. There is no solid proof.
These two latter incidents might have no relation at all to the Arab Power, only time will tell. The fact remains in which they define a new era of organized crime in Quebec, subliminally pointing the middle finger towards the ones that once led the province. It’s a new era.
