'Close associate' of Quebec gang leader arrested by B.C. RCMP
Guillaume St-Louis Bernier, suspected of having ties with Blood Family Mafia, was arrested in Kelowna, B.C.
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 Lévesque 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.
Lévesque says members of Quebec City's tactical intervention unit travelled to B.C. to retrieve St-Louis Bernier just before midnight on Friday, and he is set to appear in court by videoconference on Saturday.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ARRESTATION?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ARRESTATION</a> | De Guillaume St-Louis Bernier qui avait un mandat pancanadien d'émis contre lui pour des infractions de trafic de stupéfiants et recel par la <a href="https://twitter.com/grcrcmppolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@grcrcmppolice</a> | Collaborateur de Dave Turmel qui est toujours recherché | Détails: <a href="https://t.co/3rLbxkBuNU">https://t.co/3rLbxkBuNU</a> <a href="https://t.co/svO6I6ws5T">pic.twitter.com/svO6I6ws5T</a>
—@SPVQ_police