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The bold public execution of a prominent Canadian crime boss inside a peripheral Starbucks recently could indicate a developing, more unstable and reckless environment when it comes to organised crime, experts note.

Authority Gap Emerging

The detentions of suspected high-ranking, established members of the local underworld in June has possibly created a vacuum – meaning emerging, younger gangs are working to secure territory.

Violent Attack Details

Law enforcement stated at a media update that they were called to a Starbucks in the Quebec municipality at about late morning on Wednesday because of notifications of a violent incident inside the coffee shop. A single individual was murdered and two others were wounded.

Targeted Person

While investigators have not verified the target's name, various journalistic sources have reported the man murdered was a sentenced drug trafficker, forty, also known by an nickname. The individual was the head of a organization operating in the area.

Authority Comments

The Quebec's public security minister said: "Everything suggests it being an incident linked to underworld activities."

The law enforcement leader informed journalists that while he could not speak specifically on the investigation, he is familiar with the man targeted due to his "notoriety". "The individual was connected to criminal networks," he added.

Previous Activities

The targeted individual was first associated officially to illegal operations in the mid-2000s when police in Montreal detained him and multiple associates in a illegal substance probe. He ultimately pleading guilty on narcotics charges and was given to 24 months in prison.

According to reports, the person was detained for a second time in the late 2000s, again for narcotics distribution, and was afterwards sentenced to another 60 months in prison.

Professional Assessment

A university expert said that criminal organizations in the area used to be characterised around showing discretion over visible conflicts and depended on a clear hierarchical structure.

An bold daylight murder at a public establishment suggests there may not be a dominant force maintaining control – as aggression could impact operations when it comes to drug trafficking, explained the expert.

Organizational Breakdown

The expert suggested it is plausible that the group which eliminated the criminal boss simply "did not care" about the public display of force in order to neutralize their target.

But the expert thinks more plausible is there has been a decline of structure and authority within organised crime in Montreal, associated with significant arrests of the alleged heads of local criminal networks made in June.

Key Detentions

After a 36-month inquiry, police detained an suspected mafia leader and accused him with killing and other connected charges.

Current Situation

The recent arrests were viewed as the ultimate "nail in the coffin" for the traditional criminal structure, noted the expert.

It has created a void that emerging urban organizations are striving to occupy. The recent shooting is an signal of an uncertain, evolving situation, he explained.

"We're seeing kind of this abundance of lesser, not extremely coordinated gangs ... that are competing for power," he said.