Carl Lavoie |
Carl Lavoie, the lesser known of the Lavoie brothers, and his brother Donald, were born in Chicoutimi, and spent much of their childhoods in orphanages and foster homes. By 1970, the Lavoie brothers had settled in Montreal and hooked up with the Dubois brothers, whom were trying to take control of downtown Montreal, police contend. The brothers became two of the group's top enforcers. On one occasion, Richard Desmarais wrote in his book Le clan des Dubois, when an associate of the Devil's Disciples biker gang bought a Montreal bar, Carl and Donald Lavoie, along with Claude Dubeau and several others, allegedly attacked him with baseball bats. |
On June 19, 1971, Carl Lavoie, his brother Donald, and Gaetan Bonenfant visited the Taverne Montreal bar on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, and demanded to speak to its owner, Laurier Gatien. They allegedly told him that if he wanted to stay in business, he would have to pay $100 a week in "protection" to the Dubois Gang, hire employees chosen by the gang, and allow drug dealers to work out of his bar. Gatien refused their approach and, before leaving, the three men allegedly told him to "read the papers tomorrow morning" if he thought they were not serious. In the following day's newspapers, it was reported that Louis Fournier, owner of the Jean Lou bar, and Robert Beaupré, an employee, had been murdered. Donald Lavoie was later charged abd acquitted of the murders. Gatien, his employees, and the tavern's customers allegedly became the targets of harassment, threats, and attacks. The bar owner survived a murder attempt as he arrived home one day, and four of his waiters quit after being beaten and threatened. Gatien finally threw in the towel and sold his bar in October, 1973. Lavoie also reportedly participated in the "take over" of the Iroquois Hotel in Old Montreal. On the morning of May 5, 1975, Jacques Ouimet called a reunion of all his employees in a room at the hotel. Allegedly awaiting them inside were Carl Lavoie, his brother Donald, Adrien Dubois, Jean-Paul Dubois, Michel Bernard, Alain Charron, Denis Barette, Roger Brissette, and several others. The employees were reportedly told that they were fired and that they were better off never coming to Old Montreal again. Donald Lavoie, armed with a baseball bat, and another individual then proceeded to threaten, hit, and spit on the ex-employees. Their jobs were then given to associates of Adrien Dubois, authorities claim, including Carl Lavoie, Robert McPhee, and Normand Golding. Carl Lavoie was then assigned the job of "supervising" a drug business out of the hotel by Adrien Dubois, a minor girl testified at the Quebec Police's inquiry into organized crime. The witness also claimed that Robert McPhee, who she was living with, was the hotel's "official pusher," and that no other dealer was allowed to sell drugs from the establishment. According to her testimony, Carl Lavoie would deliver drugs to McPhee every evening, who then sold the drugs in return for 10% of the profits. The operation reportedly sold an average of $3,000 worth of drugs a week during the months of May and June, and between $6,000 to $9,000 a week in the months of July and August. In December, 1980, Carl's brother Donald decided to become a cooperative witness. He admitted to participating in 27 murders and testified against former associates, including reputed gang leader Claude Dubois. It is publically unclear how the actions of Donald effected his brother, but Carl Lavoie has not made headlines in over two decades. |