Leadership void in Montreal Mafia a problem

Over the last several years of indictments and the imprisonment of top leaders including boss Vito Rizzuto and last years assassination of his son Nick Rizzuto Jr the Montreal Mafia could be in for an internal power vacuum. Many mafia experts seems to think that there is a power void atop the Montreal Mafia at the moment even if just for a temporary amount of time.

There are rumors that Agostino Cuntrera a long time mafia member in Montreal may have stepped up into a leadership role for the organization. Contrera is a low key old school gangster only having one major conviction on his record from 1978 for taking part in the killing of then mafia boss Paolo Violi. It was the murder of Violi which opened the door for Vito Rizzuto to begin to take over the Montreal Mafia. Some reports have claimed that Contrera may be acting in the role of “street boss” for the Rizzuto’s to control and organize what is left of the Rizzuto family in Montreal. But others say that this is not in Contrera’s nature and it is unlikely that he would take on this sort of role.

Contrera is described by many with knowledge of the mafia in Montreal as a very reluctant leader and a low key guy who stays away from any attention. Antonio Nicaso a Canadian author of several organized crime themed books says that no one seems to want to take charge of the Montreal Mafia because of the shattered state that it is in with most of the major players in jail , dead, or in critical positions. But Nicaso says that this will not last forever as many with in the mafia in Montreal are trying to regroup and position themselves to take advantage of this weakness and seize control. So the Montreal mafia may be in for a time of change as the Rizzuto’s will have to fight to keep its control of it’s once mighty empire.