Provincial police have arrested a 22nd person they say is tied to a war between crime groups in Quebec City and the eastern part of the province.
Organized crime experts say the conflict involves independent drug dealers who are aligned with a Quebec street gang called Blood Family Mafia and who are refusing to pay the Hells Angels for operating on that organization’s territories.
The uptick in violence has been accompanied by videos distributed within crime networks depicting street gang members allegedly torturing Hells Angels.
Among those arrested are eight men and two women involved in a hostage taking that left one man dead and three injured in St-Malachie, Que., south of the provincial capital, on Feb. 19.
Provincial police Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre says the 22nd person arrested in the police operation, dubbed Opération Scandaleux, appeared in Quebec City court on Tuesday.
The Crown says most of the accused are due back in court on Wednesday.