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The bold daylight killing of a influential Quebec gang leader inside a outlying Starbucks recently could indicate a emerging, more volatile and reckless climate when it comes to organised crime, experts note.

Authority Gap Developing

The detentions of purported top-level, older members of Montreal's mafia in June has possibly created a vacuum – meaning newer, less experienced gangs are working to establish themselves.

Violent Attack Details

Authorities said at a press briefing that they were summoned to a Starbucks in the Quebec municipality at about mid-morning on Wednesday because of notifications of a gunfire inside the coffee shop. An individual was killed and two more individuals were wounded.

Deceased Individual

While police have not officially identified the target's name, various journalistic sources have said the man fatally shot was a convicted narcotics dealer, 40, also known by an alias. The person was the leader of a gang operating in the area.

Official Statements

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

The local police chief informed journalists that while he could not speak specifically on the ongoing probe, he recognizes the man targeted due to his "notoriety". "The individual was associated with organised crime," he said.

Previous Activities

The deceased was first connected officially to unlawful behavior in 2005 when law enforcement in Montreal arrested him and multiple associates in a narcotics distribution probe. He ultimately confessing on drug-related charges and was received to 24 months in prison.

According to reports, the man was apprehended for a subsequent occasion in 2009, again for drug trafficking, and was afterwards sentenced to another five years in prison.

Professional Assessment

A university expert noted that organised crime in the area used to be defined around showing discretion over open confrontations and relied on a defined hierarchical structure.

An brazen midday assassination at a coffee shop chain suggests there may not be a major player maintaining control – as violence could impact operations when it comes to drug trafficking, explained the analyst.

Organizational Breakdown

The analyst said it is conceivable that the group which targeted the gang leader simply "were unconcerned" about the public display of aggression in order to neutralize their objective.

But the analyst believes more plausible is there has been a loss of hierarchy and control within criminal networks in Montreal, related to major apprehensions of the suspected chiefs of Montreal's mafia made in June.

Major Apprehensions

After a 36-month inquiry, authorities detained an suspected mafia leader and indicted him with homicide and other associated crimes.

Existing Conditions

The recent detentions were considered as the last "decisive blow" for the long-standing underworld hierarchy, noted the analyst.

It has resulted in a vacuum that younger street gangs are looking to occupy. The Wednesday's violence is an signal of an uncertain, changing environment, he said.

"There is kind of this plethora of lesser, not super well-organised gangs ... that are fighting for dominance," he concluded.