Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel responds during question period, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at the legislature in Quebec City. Bonnardel says he's shocked and disgusted by reports that the body found south of Quebec City was a teenager from Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

MONTREAL - Quebec police said they would make their presence felt in major cities across the province on Friday, as a war between Hells Angels and street gangs was linked to the death of a 14-year-old boy southeast of the provincial capital.

Multiple media reports say police found the body of a teenager from Montreal near a Hells Angels-linked bunker in Frampton, Que., about 50 kilometres southeast of Quebec City in the Beauce region. The child was reportedly sent to attack the bunker.

Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said it is "vile" that organized criminals are recruiting youth.

"Like many Quebecers, what I hear coming out of Frampton shocks me," Bonnardel wrote on Thursday. "It is vile for street gangs to enlist young people — children — to do their dirty work."

Provincial police on Friday would only confirm that a body of a male victim was discovered overnight on Sept. 16 in Frampton and that the death is suspicious. A spokesperson for the coroner's office said they were still working to confirm the victim's identity.

Following the death, and as a result of a bloody conflict between organized criminals over drug territory in the Quebec City area, 120 police officers with 25 police forces from across the province were expected to make their presence felt in major cities on Friday.

In a news release, provincial police, who are leading the operation, said the officers would visit bars and clubs in the Montreal and Quebec City regions, but also in the Outaouais, Mauricie, and Saguenay. Police said they would also be erecting roadblocks.

"This concerted operation aims to reiterate a clear message to members of organized crime and anyone prepared to commit acts of violence that the police forces are continuing their actions against armed violence," provincial police said.

Early Monday morning, police were called to a vehicle fire in Frampton, and were led to the nearby bunker belonging to a Hells Angels support club known as the Red Devils, where they found the body, reports said. They arrested a man at the bunker, who was released on a promise to appear in court at a later date. Local media have reported a number of incidents over the past year at the Red Devils building, including an attack in May and another in December 2023.

Quebec provincial police say they'll be stepping up their presence in the community of about 1,300 people, and deploying mitigation measures to assuage the concerns of worried citizens. Sgt. Beatrice Dorsainville said a mobile command unit was deployed in the heart of Frampton on Friday and would be there on Monday too. Residents are encouraged to speak to police if they have information to share, she said.

Frampton Mayor Jean Audet called on residents to co-operate.

"We are aware that the police have a meticulous investigative job to do and that they cannot elaborate in order to preserve its integrity," Audet said in a statement regarding the boy's death. "However, as citizens, we have a collective duty to inform the police of any information that we believe is or is not related to what happened recently."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2024