The ongoing Montreal Mafia war between the Rizzuto crime family from the Sicilian Mafia and a breakaway group allegedly led by Raynald Desjardins with the backing of the Ndrangheta has seemingly spread into Italy.

Juan Ramon Fernandez was shot to death along with another man in a mob linked hit outside Palermo, Sicily. Fernandez is a close associate to Rizzuto family boss Vito Rizzuto and a top player in the international drug trade. Italian authorities say they are sure that the order to kill Fernandez came from Canada. One of those charged with the murder of Fernandez is former Toronto resident Pietro Scaduto.

“Juan Ramon Fernandez”

Italian investigators claim Fernandez was the lynch pin of a drug network from Sicily to Italy and dubbed him Cosa Nostra‘s Canadian ambassador. Authorities were searching for Fernandez along with other reputed Sicilian Mafia bosses on Wednesday targeting members of the international drug trade but were unsuccessful. Now its clear why he could not be found. It is still not clear who actually gave the order to kill Fernandez and for what reasons but many mob insiders believe it may signal that the Montreal Mafia war is still unsettled. Although it seems like Vito Rizzuto has begun to regain power since his release from prison his enemies may not be done yet.