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The brazen daylight killing of a influential Quebec gang leader inside a suburban Starbucks recently could suggest a developing, more unstable and brash environment when it comes to underworld activities, experts note.

Power Vacuum Emerging

The arrests of alleged top-level, established members of the local underworld in June has potentially left a chasm – meaning newer, younger gangs are working to gain a foothold.

Violent Attack Particulars

Law enforcement stated at a media update that they were called to a Starbucks in Laval, Quebec at about 10.30am on Wednesday because of alerts of a shooting inside the café. A single individual was murdered and two additional people were wounded.

Targeted Person

While investigators have not confirmed the target's name, multiple journalistic sources have indicated the man killed was a sentenced narcotics dealer, four decades old, also known by an alias. The individual was the leader of a organization operating in the area.

Official Statements

The Quebec's public security minister said: "All evidence suggests it being an act associated with organised crime."

The area's top officer advised media that while he could not provide details on the case, he knows the man killed due to his "notoriety". "This person is connected to criminal networks," he added.

Past Record

The deceased was first associated officially to unlawful behavior in 2005 when authorities in Montreal arrested him and several accomplices in a drug trafficking investigation. He ended up admitting responsibility on drug-related charges and was given to 24 months in prison.

According to documents, the man was arrested for a subsequent occasion in 2009, again for narcotics distribution, and was subsequently sentenced to another 60 months in prison.

Professional Assessment

A academic specialist explained that organised crime in the area used to be defined around maintaining control over visible conflicts and depended on a established hierarchical structure.

An audacious public killing at a coffee shop chain points to there may not be a controlling entity keeping order – as aggression could affect activities when it comes to illegal substance trade, said the expert.

Control Loss

The professor stated it is possible that the organization which targeted the criminal boss simply "showed disregard" about the public display of violence in order to neutralize their target.

But the criminologist said more likely is there has been a erosion of organization and control within criminal networks in Montreal, connected with significant arrests of the purported leaders of the city's organized crime made in June.

Major Apprehensions

After a three-year investigation, police arrested an purported mafia leader and charged him with first-degree murder and other associated crimes.

Present Circumstances

The recent arrests were viewed as the final "nail in the coffin" for the long-standing underworld hierarchy, commented the analyst.

It has left a void that younger street gangs are striving to take over. The latest incident is an indication of an volatile, changing landscape, he noted.

"We have kind of this abundance of minor, not super well-organised gangs ... that are competing for control," he concluded.