Quebec corruption inquiry turns attention to Mafia in its own backyard

MONTREAL – After hearing about the Mafia in Italy, Ontario and the United States, a Quebec corruption inquiry is turning its attention to its own backyard.

Several law-enforcement officials will testify in the coming days to discuss the Italian Mafia in Montreal — in particular the rise and fall of the Rizzuto clan in Quebec.

An RCMP officer is on the stand at the Charbonneau Commission this morning detailing the bloody rise of the Rizzutos in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

Linda Fequiere says Vito Rizzuto was able to forge alliances and act as a peacemaker to solidify the clan’s power base in Montreal.

But that all changed after Rizzuto’s extradition to the United States and Operation Colisee, the largest anti-Mafia police sweep in Canadian history.

Without naming any names, Fequiere says the Calabrian Mafia, which ruled before the Rizzutos rose to power, have now taken over in Quebec.

Rizzuto, currently jailed in the United States, is scheduled to be released in a few weeks.

The Quebec commission is looking into criminal corruption in the construction industry and its ties to organized crime and political parties.