During the Roaring Twenties, Québec's Transcontinental region became the centre of a highly lucrative bootlegging network. Bootlegging expanded in the 1920s after the Taschereau government opened branches of the liquor board in 1921 and the Volstead Act in the United States prohibited the production, transport, and sale of alcohol, creating opportunities for smugglers in the region. Alfred Lévesque became the central figure in this trade as head of a smuggling ring in Rivière-Bleue, a village strategically placed near the U.S. and New Brunswick borders. His operations extended beyond Rivière-Bleue to caches in Estcourt and sales points in the Témiscouata area. Smugglers also faced determined opposition from Father Thériault, who pursued them vigorously and succeeded in sending some to jail, including Alfred Lévesque in 1930. Bootlegging in the region declined during the 1930s after Lévesque's arrest and the repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933.