MONTREAL — Experts say the murders Tuesday of mobster Agostino Cuntrera and his bodyguard in the borough of Saint-Leonard may indicate Montreal's Calabrian mafia family is planning to take back the power it lost to the hands of the Rizzuto Sicilians more than 30 years ago.

Some experts suggest the murders could be linked to the murder of Paolo Violi in the late '70s.

"The murder of Violi was never avenged," said journalist and author Lee Lamothe. "They saw an opportunity: Three members of the clan with a connection to the murder of Paolo Violi in 1978 were targeted."

Cuntrera had been convicted for his involvement in the death of the then-powerful head of the Montreal mob. Paolo Renda, killed last month, was also involved in Violi's death, Lamothe said.

Finally, the murder of Nick Rizzuto Jr. in December is, in Lamothe's

opinion, related to Violi's murder in the sense that another symbolic

figure was killed. In this case, a member of the Rizzuto family, which

came to power when Violi was killed.

Author Pierre DeChamplain, a retired RCMP specialist in organized crime, feels the same way: Calabrians are likely responsible for the murder of Cuntrera.

"It's obvious that it came from the inside, there is no other organization involved in this," he said.

Police sources also believe that we're witnessing a historic shift in the Italian mob world: The troubles facing the Rizzuto family could represent a power shift in favour of the Calabrian clan.

"They are waiting until the Sicilians wave the white flag to take control," said a police officer who has been investigating the mob for years.