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The audacious public execution of a prominent Montreal underworld figure inside a suburban Starbucks this week could indicate a developing, more volatile and aggressive landscape when it comes to criminal organizations, experts note.

Leadership Void Emerging

The arrests of purported top-level, established members of the local underworld in June has potentially left a vacuum – meaning upcoming, less experienced gangs are attempting to secure territory.

Shooting Incident Details

Law enforcement said at a press briefing that they were dispatched to a Starbucks in the Montreal suburb at about mid-morning on Wednesday because of notifications of a gunfire inside the coffee shop. One man was fatally shot and two more individuals were injured.

Victim Identification

While police have not verified the victim's name, multiple journalistic sources have indicated the man killed was a previously found guilty drug trafficker, 40, also known by an alias. The individual was the head of a organization operating in the area.

Official Statements

The province's security official commented: "Everything indicates it being an event linked to underworld activities."

The area's top officer advised reporters that while he could not provide details on the investigation, he knows the man targeted due to his "notoriety". "He is associated with organised crime," he noted.

Criminal History

The victim was first connected officially to unlawful behavior in the mid-2000s when law enforcement in Montreal apprehended him and six others in a narcotics distribution probe. He eventually confessing on drug-related charges and was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

According to records, the person was detained for a second time in 2009, again for drug trafficking, and was subsequently sentenced to another half-decade in prison.

Criminologist Perspective

A criminology professor explained that criminal organizations in the area used to be defined around exercising restraint over visible conflicts and depended on a defined hierarchical structure.

An brazen public killing at a coffee shop chain indicates there may not be a controlling entity maintaining control – as aggression could impact business when it comes to drug trafficking, explained the analyst.

Organizational Breakdown

The expert stated it is possible that the faction which attacked the underworld figure simply "were unconcerned" about the public display of aggression in order to kill their objective.

But the expert believes more likely is there has been a decline of structure and authority within organised crime in Montreal, related to significant apprehensions of the suspected leaders of local criminal networks made in June.

Key Detentions

After a multi-year inquiry, authorities took into custody an alleged mafia leader and accused him with first-degree murder and other connected charges.

Present Circumstances

The recent arrests were seen as the last "final straw" for the traditional organized crime, noted the specialist.

It has resulted in a void that emerging urban organizations are attempting to take over. The recent shooting is an sign of an volatile, evolving landscape, he noted.

"We're seeing kind of this multitude of small, not highly structured gangs ... that are vying for dominance," he said.