In the late afternoon hours of May 7th, police cruisers converged outside a modest café in Montreal’s Little Italy. What followed wasn’t just another raid but the culmination of a months-long investigation into what authorities describe as a coordinated extortion campaign targeting local restaurants.
Montreal police arrested 13 individuals allegedly connected to a criminal network that demanded “protection money” from restaurant owners across several neighborhoods. According to Commander Caroline Cournoyer, who leads the organized crime division, the suspects targeted primarily immigrant-owned establishments.
“These business owners came to Canada to build a better life,” Cournoyer told me during a phone interview. “Instead, they found themselves facing threats that followed them from the very places they left behind.”
The investigation, code-named Operation Bouclier (Shield), began after several restaurant owners approached police in January with similar stories: men in dark clothing entering their establishments during busy hours, requesting private meetings, then demanding monthly payments of $500 to $1,500.
Court documents I reviewed reveal disturbing patterns. In one case at a Syrian restaurant in Villeray, the owner reported that suspects smashed three windows after he refused to pay. Another restaurateur in Saint-Leonard had his delivery vehicle vandalized with acid when he attempted to negotiate a lower “fee.”
Quebec Superior Court Judge Martine St-Louis, who signed the search warrants, noted the sophisticated nature of the operation. “The evidence suggests coordination beyond opportunistic crime,” she wrote in her authorization.
The arrests come amid growing concern about organized crime’s infiltration of legitimate businesses. Professor Antonio Nicaso from Queen’s University, who has studied criminal enterprises for three decades, sees familiar patterns.
“Economic extortion follows predictable cycles,” Nicaso explained. “Criminal groups identify vulnerable businesses – often immigrant-owned, cash-intensive operations with cultural reluctance to involve authorities. The pandemic created additional vulnerabilities with restaurants already struggling financially.”
I spent time walking through the Petite-Patrie district, where several targeted restaurants operate. Many owners remained hesitant to speak on record. One restaurateur, who asked to be identified only as Farid, described receiving visits every first Monday of the month.
“They would order coffee, sit quietly until closing, then explain their ‘insurance policy.’ They said they could guarantee no problems – fires, broken windows, bad online reviews,” Farid recalled. “The threat was clear without being explicit.”
Police seized approximately $120,000 in cash, three handguns, and detailed ledgers during searches of five residences. The ledgers contained what appears to be a systematic tracking of payments from over 30 restaurants.
The Montreal Restaurant Association estimates that extortion affects up to 15% of independent restaurants in the city, though most cases go unreported. The association’s director, Marie-Claude Lortie, praised the police action while acknowledging the problem extends beyond these arrests.
“Restaurant margins were already razor-thin before the pandemic,” Lortie said. “When someone demands $1,000 monthly, that might represent the difference between staying open or closing permanently.”
Montreal’s city council recently approved additional funding for a specialized economic crimes unit focusing on small business protection. Councilor Abdelhaq Sari, who championed the initiative, believes cultural sensitivity is crucial to addressing extortion in immigrant communities.
“Many business owners come from countries where police are not trusted,” Sari explained. “We’re establishing liaison officers from diverse backgrounds who understand cultural nuances and can build relationships with vulnerable communities.”
The suspects face charges including extortion, criminal conspiracy, and weapons offenses. If convicted, they could face up to 14 years imprisonment under Section 346 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
For restaurateurs like Maya Chami, who operates a Lebanese eatery in Saint-Michel, the arrests bring cautious relief. “We came to Canada to escape this kind of fear,” she told me while preparing flatbreads in her kitchen. “I want to believe this means we can focus on our food again, not looking over our shoulders.”
Legal experts caution that extortion networks often adapt rather than disappear after enforcement actions. Alain Roy, a former prosecutor now teaching at Université de Montréal’s law faculty, notes that successful prosecution requires sustained witness cooperation.
“The challenge isn’t making arrests but securing testimony through trial,” Roy said. “Witnesses often face ongoing intimidation, and cases collapse without their continued participation.”
Police have established a confidential hotline for other business owners who may have experienced similar extortion attempts. Commander Cournoyer emphasized that immigration status will not be questioned for those coming forward.
As evening fell across Montreal’s diverse restaurant scene, the arrests represented a significant step toward protecting small business owners. Yet for many, the fear remains just beneath the surface – a cost of doing business that can’t be recorded in any ledger.
