Quebec police raids: 31 alleged Mafia members arrested

Thirty-one people were arrested this morning after a series of police raids targetingalleged Mafia members in Montreal, Laval,Gatineau and Quebec City.

Police are currently looking for three other individuals.

Some 200 officers from a number of police forces took part in the raids, as part of Operation Clemenza led bythe RCMP.

Raids follow interception of BlackBerry messages

The raids followed an extensive investigation that involved theinterception of PIN-to-PIN BlackBerry messages between members of the GuiseppeDe Vito and Bastone brothers Mafia cells.

Insp. Michel Arcandof the RCMP's organized crime division said an investigation between 2010 and 2012 intercepted around one million PIN-to-PINmessages,and involved what he described as a "complex analysis process."

"This is themost important interception of its kind in the context of a major investigationin North America," he said.

Both Mafiacells, described by the RCMP as "violent and active," emerged after a 2006 police operation code-namedColiseleft the Montreal Mafia's leadership in disarray.

• Police raids net dozens of suspected mobsters

Coliseresulted in the arrests of nearly 100 suspected mobsters, including many topleaders of the Montreal Mafia.

Arcand said Clemenza's goal wasto "eliminate" the organizations that took over in the wake of Colise.

"The dismantling of these cells disrupts the whole organization of the Italian Mafia in Montreal," he said.

A table displaying machine-guns seized during a previous raid with links to Clemenzaserved to emphasizethe potential for violence.

"We were dealing with two very organized and dangerous groups that were willing to do anything to achieve their goals and had the means to do it," Arcandsaid.

Those arrested Thursday face 87 charges including arson, kidnapping, forcible confinement, assault, gangsterism, possession of firearms, possession of explosivesand conspiracy to smuggle drugs, money and cellphones into prison.

De Vito poisoned in prison

Giuseppe (Ponytail) De Vito was one of the leaders targeted by OperationColise, but he managed to avoid arrest until 2010.

• Suspected mobster caught after 4-year hunt
• GiuseppeDeVito, Montreal mobster, died of cyanide poisoning

An associate of theRizzutoclan,DeVito was found dead in his jail cell last year.

A coroner's report found traces of cyanide in his blood.