Members of the biker club “Hell’s Angels” , considered the most prominent criminal group in the country, participated in an annual meeting in Quebec.
The band controls most of the market for cocaine and methamphetamine
Last weekend, the population of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu (1,700 inhabitants and 50 kilometers from Montreal) was the scene of the annual meeting of the Hell’s Angels. This biker club, founded in California by veterans of the Second World War, celebrated this year seven decades of life.
Its presence on Canadian soil dates back to 1977 and, according to the documents held by the Canadian Mounted Police, it is the most important criminal group in the country, with presence in all its provinces. About 500 members of the club participated in the meeting, the first in Quebec for 10 years.
Quebec police reported that the appointment was carried out without major incidents. The police officers of the French-speaking province – with the support of the Canadian Mounted Police – installed checkpoints near the site of the event.
According to the official part, 300 fines were imposed for violations of the road safety code (circulation in prohibited areas as well as not wearing the mandatory helmet). Only one person was arrested for threats to law enforcement officials. Many of the participants arrived at the event with their traditional motorcycles, but many others decided to travel by car or minibus.
In an interview (rare) to the newspaper Le Journal de Montréal, members of the club expressed their dissatisfaction with the strong police presence. “It’s a party, a celebration, it’s like Hells Angels Christmas, there’s no criminal issues behind it,” said Frédéric Landry-Hétu, a well-known figure in the organization. The forces of order took advantage of the checkpoints to update their information cards.
The Hells Angels control the majority of the market for cocaine and methamphetamine in Canada. For two decades, they have abandoned cannabis, whose production, sale and consumption will be legal in the country as of October 17.
The group participates in other criminal activities (pimping, extortion, loan sharks, internet fraud). To this we must add its efforts in money laundering, since it has been detected that it has a wide network of companies with legal appearance for this purpose.
In the past decade, the Hell’s Angels had weakened for two reasons.
The first was motivated by a war against other groups of criminal bikers (mainly the Rock Machine) that between 1994 and 2002 caused 160 deaths.
The second came after the efforts of the authorities to stop their activities. Raids in various parts of the country allowed the seizure of drugs, cash and weapons. However, the harshest blow to the Hells Angels occurred in Quebec in April 2009.
In the framework of Operation SharQc, launched by the police of the French-speaking province, 156 members of the band were arrested. It should be noted that, despite the fact that some of the most important leaders remain behind bars,
The election of Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu as the venue for the annual meeting of this criminal group was not a coincidence: the last one on Québec soil had taken place ten years before, before Operation SharQc. “It’s a demonstration of strength, they want to be visible,” Guy Lapointe, spokesman for Quebec police, told Radio-Canada .
“They do not feel uncomfortable. They show their colors especially for one or two years, “Lapointe added. During the most complicated periods for the band, its members stopped wearing the characteristic vests with patches to avoid suspicion. Today the scenario is different.
The opinions of the experts agree in several ways: it is hard to believe that last weekend, the Hells Angels from all over the country have only enjoyed beer and grilled meat; It was also a meeting to tackle different criminal activities. The famous group of bikers portrayed by the pen of Hunter S. Thompson in the sixties is the current issue in Canada.
