From historic arrests to a shooting outside a provincial jail, 2025 marked one of the most turbulent periods in decades for Montreal’s alleged Rizzuto crime family, with experts warning the fallout is far from over.
“No matter how many arrests you make, no matter how many jailings or convictions, the mafia will still live on,” said investigative journalist and author Julian Sheer.
Police pressure on organized crime intensified throughout the year, culminating in a series of major developments that reshaped Montreal’s underworld. Among them: sweeping arrests, escalating violence and the incarceration of alleged mafia leader Leonardo Rizzuto.
Sheer says the consequences of those investigations are only beginning to surface.
“Sometime in 2026, we are likely to see the biggest mafia trial we have ever seen in Canada,” he said.
A major turning point came in early June, when police arrested more than a dozen people following a three-year investigation involving wiretaps, surveillance and information from a convicted hitman turned police informant.
READ: Leonardo Rizzuto charged with 1st-degree murder in 2011 slaying
Authorities charged Leonardo Rizzuto and others allegedly linked to the Italian mafia, the Hells Angels and street gangs with first-degree murder or conspiracy to commit murder in cases dating back more than a decade.
“With the arrests of over 13 people in early June, that was probably one of the last blows,” said Pietro Poletti, a retired SPVM lieutenant detective. “They really have to restructure, even though orders come from the inside today and not the outside.”
Leonardo Rizzuto assumed the role of alleged godfather after years of violence within the family.
His younger brother Nick was murdered in 2009, his grandfather was killed by a sniper in 2010, and his father Vito Rizzuto died in 2013 after serving time in the United States.
Police have said Leonardo Rizzuto’s authority was never absolute.
Poletti believes the power vacuum created by the arrests will lead to further instability.
“They will restructure, they will. But it’ll take time, and it’s going to be a bloodbath,” he said. “It’s only going to escalate. The new year is going to be very, very bad.”
That instability spilled into public view again this fall with a shooting outside Montreal’s Rivière-des-Prairies detention centre, where Rizzuto and other alleged mafia figures were being held.
READ: Montreal Rizzuto clan alleged targets of shooting outside jail
Shots were fired near the prison, but no one was injured. Police later found a rifle, shell casings and photos of Rizzuto nearby. The alleged targets were quickly transferred to another facility.
“Well, there are two theories about that shooting,” Sheer said. “It seems amazingly brazen that there’d be a shooting outside a prison that targets the alleged leaders of the Quebec mafia. But there are skeptics who say it looks a little planned because the alleged shooter leaves photos of his target and evidence of the shooting.”
Former investigators say the violence highlights broader challenges for law enforcement across the country.
“We have a major problem in this country, and it can’t be resolved with the policing we have today, especially local policing,” Poletti said. “They don’t have the means or the knowledge. This is a federal matter. There should be a cross-country task force and laws have to be changed.”
Sheer also questioned the effectiveness of past enforcement efforts.
“The police record when it comes to organized crime has been mixed,” he said. “They’ve blown a lot of cases.”
Poletti pointed to what he describes as a crisis within policing leadership.
“In the next month, you’ll see three or four chiefs retiring in major cities,” he said. “Why? They can’t face the music.”
As 2026 approaches, attention is now turning to the courtroom. Leonardo Rizzuto is scheduled to return to court on Jan. 8, ahead of what could become the most significant organized crime trial in Canadian history.
“Now we have the alleged godfather and the top people in the mafia who are going to stand trial on murder charges,” Sheer said. “And the key witness is going to be their alleged inside hitman.”
