'Close associate' of Quebec gang leader arrested by B.C. RCMP

Police in Quebec City say a man suspected of having close ties to the leader of Quebec street gang Blood Family Mafia has been arrested.

City police spokesperson Pierre-Olivier Lvesque says 28-year-old Guillaume St-Louis Bernier was arrested in Kelowna,B.C., by the RCMP on June 30 following a police stop.

A Canada-wide arrest warrant had been issued for St-Louis Bernier in March for drug trafficking and possession of stolen property charges.

St-Louis Bernier is considered a "close associate" of the gang's alleged leader Dave (Pic)Turmel, who is wanted on gun violence and drug trafficking charges, according to Quebec City police.

Turmel, who is on the lam, has been sought by Quebec City police since July 2023 as part of an operation launched in February 2019 to counter an increase in violence linked to drug trafficking.

Lvesque says members of Quebec City's tactical intervention unit travelled toB.C.to retrieve St-Louis Bernier just before midnight on Friday, and he is set to appear in court by videoconference on Saturday.