Canada’s most wanted: Quebec street gang leader arrested in Rome hideout

MONTREAL — Canada’s most wanted fugitive has been arrested in Italy after more than 600 days at large and now faces extradition to stand trial, Quebec City police said Friday.

Dave (Pik) Turmel, alleged by police to be the head of the Quebec street gang Blood Family Mafia, was arrested in Rome early Thursday after Quebec City police tipped off local authorities about his presence in the Italian capital.

“He was the most wanted in Canada — not just Quebec — but in Canada, so for us, it’s a source of great pride,” Quebec City police Chief Denis Turcotte told a news conference outside police headquarters on Friday afternoon.

In a news release, Italian authorities provided further details about the arrest, which occurred after police officers burst into a vacation home where Turmel was staying in the middle of the night. He barricaded himself but eventually surrendered, handing officers a fake passport, Italian police said. They said they seized drugs, several SIM cards and a diary containing accounting figures in French and Arabic.

The Bolo program, operated by a Canadian charity in partnership with the country’s police forces, had listed the 28-year-old Turmel as its No. 1 most wanted criminal. On Friday, the word “arrested” was printed across his mug shot on the website.

Turmel is accused of forming an alliance with independent drug dealers leading a bloody turf war in Quebec City and the eastern part of the province against the Hells Angels. The conflict escalated throughout 2022 as independent dealers sought to circumvent biker gang control over the illegal drug supply.

Police say the war included torture, amputations and killings. Some of the assaults were allegedly broadcast on social media.

An arrest warrant for Turmel was issued in July 2023 following a police operation stemming from an investigation that started in 2019 into drug trafficking-linked violence.

Police believe Turmel fled to Europe and travelled to several countries over his more than 20 months evading police.

In December, authorities announced a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Turmel. Turcotte said his police force provided information to allow Italian police to make the arrest in a Rome suburb.

The next step will be to have him returned to Quebec to stand trial. Turcotte said police in Italy will see if there’s any reason to charge him in that country, but otherwise he will be repatriated as soon as possible.

Italian police said Turmel is jailed in Rome’s Regina Coeli prison while awaiting extradition.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press