Organized crime is changing. Will Montreal police adapt? | The Corner Booth

Times have changed in the world of organized crime.

Not only are things becoming less and less centralized, younger people — including teens — are getting involved.

With the criminal underworld in flux, will Montreal police be able to adapt to these new challenges?

Retired police detective Pietro Poletti shared his unfiltered thoughts on the state of organized crime and Montreal police with hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand on this week’s episode at Snowdon Deli.

“It’s not organized crime directing these people, traditional organized crime or bikers telling them to go to see businesses for extortion,” Poletti said. “They take it upon their own initiative, these gangs, to make a quick fix and people fall for it. And if they refuse, they either get their cars bombed or torched, or bullets in their businesses.”

Poletti said the killing of heroin trafficker Charalambos Theologou at a Laval Starbucks was retaliation for that type of crime.

He added that businesses are hesitant to report these extortion attempts because they’re worried about losing their liquor permits, and also having “five police officers show up at the place.”

It’s why Poletti is advocating for a more discrete approach with a detective. He also calls for overhauling the police in a number of other ways.

“Times have changed and we’re policing like we were in the 1960s,” Poletti said. “Your car gets broken into. I don’t see the necessity of calling a police car to come over to your place and take a police report. Because nobody will investigate it anyway. Let’s call a spade a spade here.”

Poletti predicted a number of police chiefs will leave by the end of 2026. He also called on SPVM police chief Fady Dagher to be more present.

“We don’t see him no more for the past two months,” he said. “He should come out and secure the public.”

Despite the changes in organized crime in recent times, Poletti is quick to caution the major players are still present.

“It is totally disorganized. However, the real McCoys are just sitting back and watching the show go on. If you hear reports saying the Sicilian Mafia has been dismantled, you have to understand there are different clans operating in Montreal. So if you take out one clan like they did in the month of June, there’s four or five other clans that are operating.”

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