Hells Angels MC
173-469: Support: The Alliance [REDACTED] Quebec government Maurice Boucher Giovanni Cazzetta [REDACTED] Jacques Parizeau (1994–1996) [REDACTED] Lucien Bouchard (1996–2001) [REDACTED] Bernard Landry (2001–2002) The Quebec Biker War ( French : Guerre des motards au Québec ) was a turf war in Montreal , Quebec , Canada, lasting from 1994 to 2002, between
346-610: A biker club or bikie club (in Australia), is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers , and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom , nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the biker group. In the United States, such motorcycle clubs (MCs) are considered "outlaw" not necessarily because they engage in criminal activity, but because they are not sanctioned by
519-639: A hoax , intended to make fools of those outside the outlaw biker world, and also to serve the purpose of provoking outrage among conservative public and authorities. Frequently, additional patches may involve symbols, such as the use of the Iron Cross , Nazi swastikas , the Sig Rune insignia of the Schutzstaffel or the Totenkopf . These may not indicate Nazi sympathies , but serve to express
692-646: A Hells Angels associate, Glenn Cormier, was murdered in Quebec City. In March 1996, Kane murdered a drug dealer, Roland Lebrasseur, who refused to buy drugs from the Hells Angels. After getting over a scare caused by the killing of Desrochers, Steinert was living high at this time, receiving the "Filthy Few" patch in March 1996 awarded to those who killed for the Angels, and a full patch at the same time. Steinert
865-606: A Hells Angels-affiliated club called the Death Riders) at a motorcycle shop in Montreal. This ongoing feud largely stemmed over territory and the narcotics trade in Quebec, while also being fueled further by long-standing rivalries, deep-seated hatred and animosities between major players in the Quebec criminal underworld at that time. To provide a general idea of the criminal underworld involvement, it's essential to recall that
1038-540: A Jokers member fired a shotgun at the trio, which caused the explosive to detonate. Two other bombings were also carried out on the same day, one targeting a strip club in Laval , and other at a used car dealership in Montréal-Est . No casualties were reported in these attacks, although several cars at the dealership were damaged. By October 1995, the police would list 30 murders committed in Montreal as being connected to
1211-620: A RICO-type act as evidence of Ottawa's supposed indifference to Quebec, thus justifying separatism while Ottawa used the inability of Quebec City to deal with the biker war as evidence of Quebec's incompetence in maintaining law and order, thus justifying federalism. The feuding between the federal and Quebec governments affected Operation Carcajou with the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec. Detectives spent their time feuding with one another and made almost no serious efforts to investigate crimes committed by
1384-428: A RICO-type law, citing concerns about civil liberties, and the closest it came was with Bill C-95 in 1997 that increased the penalties if it could be established that someone had committed a crime in the service of a criminal organization. Bill C-95 was passed in 1997 and journalists Timothy Appleby and Tu Thanh Ha of The Globe and Mail observed in 2000 that nobody had been convicted under Bill C-95 offences. In 1997,
1557-669: A Rock Machine member was murdered while drinking in a Hard Rock Cafe in Acapulco by the Hells Angel Francoise Hinse. Baker had been one of the killers of Daoust, and his murder while on vacation in Mexico was intended to send the message that no-one who crossed the Angels were safe anywhere. Hinse was arrested by the Mexican police, but freed after a Mexican judge was bribed with some 700,000 Canadian dollars to dismiss
1730-504: A booth at the rear of a Chinese restaurant known as Restaurant Kim Hoa, located on Wellington Street. A man entered the establishment and approached the table, fired several shots and fled out the rear of the building. Jomphe and Deschenes were killed, while Laureau was wounded in the shoulder. One of the Paradis Brothers, Peter Paradis , would succeed Jomphe as president of the Montreal chapter, taking over much of his business in
1903-524: A car chase followed by the Montreal police, but were able to escape on foot. On 23 March 1995, Quesnel murdered an independent drug dealer associated to the Rock Machine, Richard Belcourt, by persuading him to visit Quebec City and shooting him in the head half-way along the journey after pulling over on a remote rural road. Quesnel was a professional hit-man for the Trois-Rivières chapter of
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#17327659262102076-489: A case like this. They didn't have the structure to properly organise the evidence." After working for 75 hours per week on the Vallée case for over a year without any help, Legault had a nervous breakdown and lost the case. Crown Attorney Lucie Dufresne found herself in 1998 taking on five defence lawyers on the case of five Rockers charged with killing Jean-Marc Caissey of the Rock Machine. Dufresne said: "I asked for help and I
2249-438: A club or chapter. In order to meet the expenditures of running an outlaw motorcycle club, namely the renting, purchase or furnishing of a clubhouse, groups raise funds primarily through membership dues and club fines, the sale of various items to members, the brokerage of club shares, sponsoring parties and organizing motorcycle trips. Some clubs also maintain a fund for the legal defense of its members. Some "biker" clubs employ
2422-596: A club studied was 34. There are black clubs, white clubs, and Mexican and other Spanish-speaking clubs. Bikers in American prisons, as prisoners generally do, band together along racial lines. It is claimed that racial discrimination within clubs has led to creation of rival clubs in the past, such as the Mongols Motorcycle Club after members were rejected by the local Hells Angels chapter. Some clubs or individual chapters are now multi-racial, but
2595-471: A colossal waste of money in its 1998 report. The Poitras Commission in its report stated that Operation Carcajou was characterized by dysfunctional relationships, clashing egos, and bureaucratic in-fighting with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal only interested in making a power grab, and the RCMP and Sûreté du Québec, only interested in ensuring that the blame for the continuing biker war fell on
2768-515: A criminal organization like the Mafia or the Hells Angels was not in itself a crime, and prosecutors could only convict a Mafioso or Hell's Angel if it could be established that they had committed a crime. Under the RICO act in the United States, membership of a criminal organization was made a criminal offence, thus making the job of American prosecutors much easier. The Chrétien government refused to pass
2941-425: A dominance myth of women by men and amplifying the deviance of the male club members. These myths about the women are: that they are subservient working-class women, used as objects for club sexual rites ; are hard-bitten, unattractive, and politically conservative; and that they are 'money makers' for the biker men and clubs, i.e., prostitutes, topless barmaids or strippers who are forced to hand over their money to
3114-583: A drug dealer named Marc Dubé was killed by a bomb planted in his jeep. Daniel Desrochers, an 11-year-old boy playing across the street, was also killed by debris from the explosion. Dubé was leaving the Hells Angels clubhouse in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood of Montreal at the time of his murder, and it remains unclear whether it was the Angels or the Rock Machine who planted the bomb. Kane, in his reports to Verdon mentioned that Steinert, whom he described as an arrogant and aggressive bully,
3287-594: A high risk of wounding or killing bystanders, as well as risk to those using it as a weapon. After Pelletier was killed, the independent drug dealers of Montreal formed the "Alliance to fight the Angels" headed by his younger brother, Harold Pelletier, whose first act was an attempt to assassinate Boucher in November 1994. Another member of the Pelletier Clan, Martin Simard, purchased enough stolen dynamite to fill
3460-536: A large enough national impact to be prosecuted under the U.S. Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute. The California Attorney General also lists the Mongols and the Vagos as outlaw motorcycle gangs. The FBI asserts that outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) support themselves primarily through drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion , and that they fight over territory and
3633-510: A larger one-percent club and are sometimes required to wear a "support patch" on their vests that shows their affiliation with the dominant regional club. Smaller clubs are often allowed to form with the permission of the dominant regional club. Clubs that resist have been forcibly disbanded by being told to hand over their colors on threat of aggression. In Australia and the United States, many MCs have established statewide MC coalitions. These coalitions are composed of MCs who have chapters in
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#17327659262103806-463: A local drug dealer, Maurice Lavoie, was gunned down in his car while his girlfriend was wounded. Lavoie had previously been buying his wares from the Pelletier Clan associated with the Rock Machine, but had recently switched to the Hells Angels, and as a result the Pelletier Clan hired a hitman named Patrick Call to kill Lavoie. On 28 October 1994, Sylvain Pelletier, the leader of the Pelletier Clan,
3979-602: A meeting of the leaders of various Hells Angels chapters and other California clubs in 1960 in which the various clubs parleyed over the mutual problem of police harassment. The clubs voted to ally under the patch. In 1963, the Outlaws became the first club east of the Mississippi River to begin wearing the "1%" emblem. Other patches may be worn by members, including phrases and symbols. The style or meaning of these other patches can vary between clubs. Some, such as
4152-404: A motorcycle club consists of a president , vice president , treasurer , secretary , road captain, and sergeant-at-arms (sometimes known as enforcer ). In some clubs, localized groups of a single, large MC are called charters or chapters , and the first chapter established for an MC is referred to as the mother chapter . The mother chapter serves as the ruling body of the club. Sometimes,
4325-410: A one-piece patch for nonconformist social clubs, two-piece patch for clubs paying dues , a three-piece patch for outlaw clubs or side patches. The three-piece patch consists of the club logo and the top and bottom patches, usually crescent shaped, which are referred to as rockers. The number and arrangement of patches is somewhat indicative of the nature of the club. Since many motorcycle clubs wear
4498-482: A piece of shrapnel penetrated his head. Throughout the 1990s, the province of Quebec witnessed violent confrontations between rivaling outlaw biker gangs with activities that ranged from homicides to bombings. Such violence and brutality was a decade-long conflict between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine, better known as the "1994 Biker Wars." The Quebec Biker Wars officially began on 13 July 1994, when three (3) masked-men shot and killed Pierre D'aoust (member of
4671-488: A policeman's weekly salary for information, and that much of the Montreal police were working for them, causing him to ask that RCMP should never share information with the Montreal police lest he be exposed. An additional problem with handling outlaw biker cases was the state of the Crown Attorneys in Quebec. There were 84 Crown Attorneys (prosecutors) in Montreal who had four secretaries at their service, requiring
4844-408: A process whereby members must pass several stages such as "friend of the club", "hang-around", and "prospect", on their way to becoming full-patch (see explanation of 'patching' below) members. The actual stages and membership process can and often do vary widely from club to club. Often, an individual must pass a vote of the membership and swear some level of allegiance to the club. Some clubs have
5017-535: A prosecutor's request to seize ownership of the Mongols Motorcycle Club logo and name, saying the government had no right to the trademarks. Federal prosecutors had requested, as part of a larger criminal indictment, a court order giving the government ownership of the logo in order to prevent members from wearing the club's colors. Certain large one-percent MCs have rivalries between each other and will fight over territory and other issues. Sometimes smaller clubs are forced into or willingly accept supportive roles for
5190-412: A push to establish a monopoly on street-level drug sales in the province in 1993. In Quebec, most of the illegal drugs were imported by the Mafia and distributed by the biker gangs to various street-level drug dealers. The journalist André Cédillot, an expert on biker gangs in Quebec, stated in an interview: "The Mafia were in charge of importation and the Hells Angels were the distributors. Internationally,
5363-467: A reputation as a hotbed of violence, and had become known within the biker world as the "Red Zone". The Italo-Canadian Cazzetta was not a member of the Mafia, but he did have a close relationship with the Montreal Mafia , and as a result of his Mafia ties, the Hells Angels were unwilling to challenge the Rock Machine as long as he was leader. Cazzetta has often been described as controlling all of
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5536-509: A request from the Rizzuto family for Magnussen's murder. On 28 March 1997, Kane's lover, Rocker member Aimé Simard — stating he was acting under the orders of the Rocker president, a man known as Gregory "Pissaro" Wooley — murdered Rock Machine member Jean-Marc Caissy as he entered a Montreal arena to play hockey with his friends. After being arrested, Simard agreed to work for the RCMP as he
5709-406: A secret relationship with another Rocker, Aimé Simard . Kane mentioned to Verdon that one of the Angels, an American living in Montreal named Scott Steinert , was willing to do anything to win the war, and had gone on a dynamite buying spree, adding that both Boucher and Steinert were furious when they learned about the dynamite-packed truck left by the restaurant. On 1 January 1995, Normand Baker,
5882-497: A skull and crossbones patch, or the motto "Respect Few, Fear None", are worn in some clubs by members who commit murder or other acts of violence on behalf of the club. There are also wings or biker's wings , which are earned similarly to jump wings or pilot's wings , but with various color-coded meanings, e.g. in some clubs, it is said that a member who has had sex with a woman with venereal disease can wear green wings . It has also been suggested that these definitions are
6055-472: A tough anti-gang law modeled after the American RICO act that would make membership in criminal organizations illegal. The Chrétien government for a long time resisted this pressure, claiming the existing laws were adequate to deal with the biker war and that it was just up to Quebec to apply them. Both sides had their own agenda with Quebec City using the unwillingness of the federal government to pass
6228-519: A truck, which was left near Boucher's favorite restaurant by the Alliance member Martin Pellerin. The plan was to set off the explosives by remote control when Boucher arrived, killing him and everybody else in the restaurant, but a Montreal parking officer noticed the truck was parked illegally and had it towed, thus unknowingly foiling the plot. On 4 November 1994, Rock Machine member Daniel Bertrand,
6401-426: A unique club patch (cut or top rocker) adorned with the term MC that are worn on the rider's vest, known as a kutte . In these clubs, some amount of hazing may occur during the early stages (i.e., hang-around, prospecting) ranging from the mandatory performance of menial labor tasks for full patch members to sophomoric pranks, and, in rare cases with some outlaw motorcycle clubs, acts of violence. During this time,
6574-465: A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder. Afterward, the vacuum left by the Hells Angels was filled by a number of Montreal-based organized crime groups such as the Rock Machine , and it was not until the early 1990s that the Angels became a major force in Montreal organized crime again. In the early 1980s, Maurice "Mom" Boucher and Salvatore Cazzetta were leaders of
6747-761: Is also the King in Right of Quebec . As a Commonwealth realm , the Canadian monarch is shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations . Within Canada, the monarch exercises power individually on behalf of the federal government , and the 10 provinces. While the powers of the Crown are vested in the monarch, they are exercised by the lieutenant governor, his personal representative, typically on
6920-443: Is always short term". Domingue told the journalists Julien Sher and William Marsden: "If you look at the rate or percentages of success in cases solved against the Hells Angels, I would say they kill with impunity. They have reasons to laugh at the law because they could do what they wanted but for the odd arrest here and there. We ended up being their best place to prosper. We didn't take them seriously enough". In Canada, belonging to
7093-409: Is frequently cited as evidence that these clubs do not deserve their negative media image. Outlaw clubs have been accused of using charity rides to mask their criminal nature . The American Motorcyclist Association has frequently complained of the bad publicity for motorcycling in general caused by outlaw clubs, and they have said that the presence of outlaw clubs at charity events has actually harmed
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7266-635: Is standard for members of a puppet club to commit most of the crimes in the hope that they will be promoted to the rank of "prospect" within the Hells Angels proper. A British policeman told journalist Patrick Lejtenyi about the use of puppet clubs by the Hells Angels: "However, the paranoia that new recruits might be infiltrators from law enforcement or even journalists causes much angst around their selection. To try and avoid this, potential members are treated like shit and asked to perform various tasks to prove their worth. These are often degrading or illegal,
7439-554: The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and do not adhere to the AMA's rules. Instead, the clubs have their own set of bylaws reflecting the outlaw biker culture. The U.S. Department of Justice defines "outlaw motorcycle gangs" (OMG) as "organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises". While organizations may vary, the typical internal organization of
7612-730: The Bandidos , the Blue Angels, the Hells Angels and the Outlaws as criminal motorcycle gangs. Outlaw motorcycle clubs first began to appear in Ontario and Quebec in the early 1950s. In 1978, the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada launched Project Focus, an investigation into motorcycle gangs. By 2002, there were 26 motorcycle gangs operating in Canada, the largest and most powerful of which being
7785-531: The Crips gang in the United States. The Syndicate began by engaging in extortion rackets and robbing dépanneurs (convenience stores) before moving on to serve as drug dealers and killers for the Angels, becoming well known in Montreal for doing the "dirty work" that even the Angels did not want to do. Wooley was president of the Rockers, the Angels' puppet club in Montreal, and, although he could never hope to join
7958-497: The Hells Angels . Canadian biker gangs are involved in money laundering, intimidation, assault, attempted murder, murder, fraud, theft, counterfeiting, loan-sharking, extortion, prostitution, escort agencies, strip clubs, and the trafficking of illegal weapons, stolen goods, contraband, and illicit alcohol and cigarettes. Some of the other major biker organizations (aside from Hells Angels) that have operated in Canada, include
8131-672: The Port of Montreal , but also as the Hells Angels have sought to obtain control of the street level trade from other rival or independent gangs in various regions of Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette, quoting from the Provincial Court of Manitoba , defines these groups as: "Any group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have voluntarily made a commitment to band together and abide by their organizations' rigorous rules enforced by violence, who engage in activities that bring them and their club into serious conflict with society and
8304-707: The South Shore clubhouse of the Evil Ones, a Hells Angels puppet club. On 15 July 1994, senior Hells Angels from across Quebec were summoned by Boucher to an emergency meeting at a hotel in Longueuil to take a vote on whether or not they wanted to take part in biker war against the Alliance. According to Sherbrooke Hells Angel-turned- Crown witness Sylvain Boulanger, the Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City chapters – Michel Langlois and Maurice Boucher of
8477-456: The Sûreté du Québec detectives who were a part of Operation Carcajou as having questionable ethics. In a visit to Quebec City, Bouchard was taken by several Sûreté du Québec detectives to a restaurant where all the food and drinks were on the house. Bouchard described the scene: "I walk in and they got a party going on in there. This was a sit-down supper, you know-booze and wine at $ 50 a bottle. Nobody's paying. And you're starting to think, what
8650-409: The Sûreté du Québec , confessing that on the night of 7 August 1983, he murdered a drug dealer named Michel Beaulieu, who was behind in his payments to the Pelletier Clan. Pelletier asked that the police provide him with protection from the Angels in exchange for more information about his crimes. Ultimately, Pelletier confessed to committing 17 murders between 1983 and 1995, yet he was only convicted of
8823-493: The Warlocks MC of Pennsylvania sued over their exclusion from a charity event. The primary visual identification of a member of an outlaw motorcycle club is the vest adorned with a large club-specific patch or patches predominantly located in the middle of the back. The patches will contain a club logo, the name of the club, and the letters MC, and a possible state, province, or other chapter identification. This garment and
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#17327659262108996-418: The guerre des motards , instead cultivated a close business relationship with a Hells Angels leader named René Charlebois, selling him information. Kane told his handlers in 1995 that somebody in the senior ranks of the Montreal police was selling Boucher information, as Boucher had often boasted to him that he knew everything that police knew about him. Kane also told the RCMP that the Hells Angels paid double
9169-468: The illegal drug trade and collect $ 1 billion in illegal income annually. Motorcycle gangs frequently begin mutually beneficial partnerships with independent criminals, and maintain a large network of associates by doing so. Crimes are typically carried out by associates rather than "full patch" members in order to protect the club from implication by law enforcement. In 1985 a three-year, eleven-state FBI operation named Roughrider culminated in
9342-414: The probative value of such items is far outweighed by their unfairly prejudicial effects on the defence. Some outlaw motorcycle clubs can be distinguished by a "1%" or "Diamond" shape patch worn on the colors. This is said to refer to a comment made in 1960 by William Berry, a former president of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying
9515-572: The white supremacist SS motorcycle gang, dominating organized crime in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district of Montreal. In 1986, following a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl, Boucher joined the Quebec branch of the Hells Angels, quickly rising to become the club's leader. Boucher, who became an fully patched Hells Angel on 1 May 1987, became president of the Sorel chapter later that year. One of Boucher's friends
9688-463: The 1960s. Here, they are commonly referred to as "bikie gangs". At present, there exist an abundance of outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia - many of which are homegrown clubs (founded within the country) and have since expanded overseas. However, a good amount of the country's groups are chapters of international one-percenter clubs which originated outside of Commonwealth of Australia such as
9861-623: The 1990s. In 1992, Belgium's Blue Angels club became the first international club in the country when they merged with the Blue Angels of Scotland. The Hells Angels opened its first Belgian chapter in Ghent in 1997. In 1999, the Outlaws formed its first chapter in Belgium through a "patch over" of an indigenous Outlaws club based in Mechelen . The Belgian Federal Police has designated
10034-638: The Angels from within. Steinert was not included in the Nomads chapter, and was planning in October 1996 on forming his cell within the Montreal South chapter in what appeared to be a challenge to Boucher's authority. A month later in November 1996. The Rock Machine planted a bomb in the old Hells Angels bunker in St. Nicholas and the residential neighborhood where it was located was shaken by the immense force of
10207-405: The Angels proper as a black man, he maintained very close ties with them. For reasons that remain unclear, Wooley had no qualms about serving as the bodyguard for the white supremacist Boucher. However, Simard proved to be a poor witness on the stand and Wooley's trial for first degree murder ended with his acquittal. Afterwards, the Crown disavowed Simard, saying that he failed to fulfill his side of
10380-524: The Assembly. Premiers hold office until resignation or removal by the lieutenant governor after either a motion of no confidence or defeat in a general election . Among Canadian premiers, the Quebec premier is unique, in that new sessions begin with the Opening Speech by the premier, rather than a speech from the throne by the lieutenant governor, as is the case federally as well. In Canada,
10553-580: The Cabinet (French: Conseil des ministres , lit. 'council of ministers') of each provincial and territorial government is known as an Executive Council ( French : Conseil exécutif ). François Legault has served as Premier since October 18, 2018, after the Coalition Avenir Québec won a majority government following the 2018 election . Support club An outlaw motorcycle club , known colloquially as
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#173276592621010726-473: The Carcajou squad decided the best way to end the war was to put the Rock Machine out of business, arguing that the Rock Machine was the weaker of the two clubs, and the war would end once the Rock Machine was removed from the scene. On 29 January 1997, seven Rock Machine members were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the failed murder plot against Boucher in 1994. In May 1997,
10899-526: The Carcajou squad to take anti-biker activity in his city because he believed this would mean that the Quebec City police would not have to be involved and in this way he would save his city much money. The Royal Commission chaired by Justice Lawrence Poitras that was set up to examine the Sûreté du Québec after the case against the West End Gang boss Gerald Matticks collapsed when detectives were caught planting evidence, blasted Operation Carcajou as
11072-464: The Crown . The premier acts as the head of government for the province, chairs and selects the membership of the Cabinet , and advises the Crown on the exercise of executive power and much of the royal prerogative . As premiers hold office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected Nation Assembly, they typically sit as a MNA and lead the largest party or a coalition in
11245-440: The Crown Attorneys to do much of their paperwork themselves, leaving them little time to prepare for cases. Furthermore, until 2002, the Crown Attorneys in Quebec were not provided with computers, forcing them to write out their notes on typewriters or by hand, nor did they have access to online criminal databases. The law library in Montreal was so antiquated that Crown Attorneys sometimes had to ask defence lawyers for information on
11418-462: The Crown gave the Carcajou squad a budget of $ 5 million, but none for the Crown Attorneys, saying: "I was alone on a part-time basis. I was running around like mad and unable to do any decent work". Another Crown Attorney, François Legault, who prosecuted Hells Angel Richard Vallée in 1997, found himself handling the case alone and having to do some of the police work himself. Legault stated: "The police were totally disorganised. They didn't know how to do
11591-469: The Crown. Roy was arrested and charged with murder, but acquitted in April 1997. On 24 June 1995, Boucher founded the Nomads, an elite chapter of the Angels, that unlike the other chapters, had no geographical limit and were to operate all over Canada. To join the Nomads, applicants were required to commit murders, which ensured that no undercover police agents could enter the Nomads chapter. Additionally, only
11764-509: The Hells Angel Robert "Tiny" Richard on 29 February 1996. Out of the concern of a possible Rock Machine attack on those attending the funeral, the Carcajou squad sent some extra police officers to provide security, leading the president of provincial police unit, Luc Savard, to denounce the squad as he maintained the Sorel police force was capable of providing the security. Likewise, the mayor of Quebec City, Jean-Paul L'Allier, wanted
11937-483: The Hells Angels after the chapter president Louse "Mélou" Roy decided that he was the type of killer he wanted in his chapter. Roy told Quesnel he would be paid $ 500 per week and $ 10,000 every time he committed a murder, an offer that Quesnel promptly accepted. Quesnel's career as a hitman was cut short when he was arrested on 1 April 1995, leading him to turn Crown's evidence in exchange for becoming eligible for parole after 12 years together with some $ 390,000 payment from
12110-631: The Hells Angels and the Mongols MC. The year 2007 saw an increase of the country's amount of OMCG chapters. According to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission , there are (at least) 38 outlaw motorcycle gangs operating across the nation as of 2020. Outlaw biker clubs first began to appear in Belgium in the 1970s, and the Belgian biker scene continued to be dominated by small local clubs until
12283-538: The Hells Angels and their Rockers and Death Riders puppet clubs. The Palmers had chapters in both Montreal and Quebec City, and were led and organized by Rock Machine members Jean "Le Francais" Duquaire and André "Dédé" Désormeaux. Désormeaux was a member of the Dark Circle and later joined the Rock Machine. Rejecting the Angels' ultimatum, the Alliance launched a series of attacks against the Hells Angels beginning on 13 July 1994, when Death Riders member Pierre Daoust
12456-732: The Hells Angels in Quebec at that time (i.e. 1994) were backed by Vito Rizzuto (of the Montreal Mafia), while the Rock Machine were affiliated with the criminal coalition known as the Alliance Against the Angels (otherwise known as the Dark Circle). The two central figures in the 1994 conflict were the leaders of the two warring gangs (Hells Angels and the Rock Machine): Maurice "Mom" Boucher (leader of Quebec's Hells Angels); and Salvatore Cazzetta (leader of
12629-515: The Hells Angels who had murdered a drug dealer named Richard Jobin on 9 September 1993 to give himself the underworld reputation as a killer. In October 1993, Quesnel murdered another independent drug dealer, Martin Naud, by ramming a pair of scissors through one of his eyes and then used the scissors to cut his throat. In November 1994, Quesnel was permitted to join the Trois-Rivières chapter of
12802-401: The Hells Angels. After the Rock Machine emerged in 1986, they quickly became the number one rival of the Hells Angels, and a full-blown turf war between the two biker gangs erupted in the 1990s; unfortunately, claiming more than 150 individual lives, including two (2) prison guards and an innocent 11-year-old boy named Daniel Desrochers, who died several days after a planted car bomb exploded and
12975-560: The Los Bravos, who were planning on "patching over" to become Hells Angels, which caused some problems with the Angels' plans to expand into the Prairies. Magnussen was unintelligent, and had only been recruited into the Angels because of his size, strength and brutality. Carroll become convinced that nobody could be as stupid as Magnussen was, which led him to the conclusion that Magnussen must be an undercover policeman working to destroy
13148-465: The Mafia has a better reputation than Hells Angels because the Colombians don't trust the Hells Angels, but they do trust the Mafia." In Quebec, the power of the Mafia was limited by the fact it was only open to those who were Sicilians or of Sicilian descent . In contrast, the Quebec bikers were, and remain, mostly French-Canadian . When Cazzetta was arrested on charges on importing cocaine from
13321-533: The Montreal faction, and Quebec City chapter vice-president Marc "Tom" Pelletier in particular – were strongly in favour, while only the Sherbrooke chapter leaders were against retaliation against their rivals. Despite Sherbrooke's initial holdout, the chapter eventually relented in August 1994, providing the Hells Angels' leadership the unanimous vote required to go to war against the Alliance. On 19 October 1994,
13494-431: The Montreal underworld. The Crown justified the plea bargain with Pelletier, given that he was guilty of 17 murders, on the grounds he was a "mine of information" about the underworld of Montreal. Pelletier's motives for striking a plea bargain was that the "Alliance against the Angels" was collapsing with Alliance members defecting over to the Angels, and he wanted Crown protection from the Angels. However, Pelletier violated
13667-650: The Parthenais Detention Center prior to his extradition to the United States, was attacked and wounded by six other prisoners in a "jailhouse contract". On 18 October 1996, the president of the Rock Machine Montreal chapter, Renaud Jomphe alongside Christian Deschenes of the Rock Machine were shot and killed while eating in a Chinese restaurant in Verdun. The Rock Machine leader was seated with fellow club members and Raymond Laureau in
13840-539: The Pelletier clan, the Rock Machine, the Palmers, and former members of the Devils Disciples , resisted the Hells Angels' attempts at monopolisation and established a coalition known as the "Alliance to fight the Angels". The subsequent guerre des motards resulted in the bombings of many establishments and murders on both sides. It claimed more than 160 lives, including Daniel Desrochers, an 11-year-old boy who
14013-448: The Quebec branch of the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine . The war left 162 people dead, including civilians. There were also 84 bombings and 130 cases of arson . In March 2002, American journalist Julian Rubinstein wrote about the biker war: "Considering how little attention the story has attracted outside Canada, the toll is staggering: 162 dead, scores wounded. The victims include an 11-year-old boy killed by shrapnel from one of
14186-400: The RCMP that Steinert had been living in Montreal since he was a teenager, but that he had never taken Canadian citizenship, which led the Canadian government to go to the courts seeking an injunction to deport Steinert back to the United States. In May 1996, Steinert's bodyguard, Donald "Bam Bam" Magnussen, lost his temper at a party and murdered David Boyko, the leader of a Winnipeg biker gang,
14359-493: The Rock Machine Montreal chapter was interviewed and told reporter Michel Auger of the Journal de Montreal, that "we don't attack or target, and we certainly don't kill, children". He also stated the Hells Angels as a "bunch of goons on a power trip". On 15 September 1995, Richard "Crow" Émond was gunned down in a parking lot while helping his girlfriend get out of a car, becoming the first fully patched Hells Angel to be killed by
14532-470: The Rock Machine and their allies from the Montreal drug market, and issued an ultimatum that anyone dealing drugs in the city would have to buy from them. Maurice Boucher organized puppet clubs to persuade Rock Machine-controlled bars and their resident drug dealers to surrender their illegal drug business. In response, the Rock Machine created the Palmers MC, a Rock Machine puppet club created to counter
14705-427: The Rock Machine clubhouses in Montreal and Quebec City were raided while the police arrested 18 Rock Machine members and seized 325 kilos(716.5 lbs) of explosives, particularly TNT. The police confiscated the Montreal clubhouse after drugs were found within the premises. Reflecting the way that the Angels were winning the war, in October 1995, Harold Pelletier, one of the heads of the Pelletier Clan, turned himself in to
14878-431: The Rock Machine was arrested when a Rock Machine member turned police informer asked him to buy 15 kilos of cocaine. Cazzetta introduced the informer to Richard Matticks, the brother of Gerald Matticks of the West End Gang. Matticks told the informer he could not supply 15 kilos of cocaine on a very short notice, but did sell him 9 kilos for $ 350,000. Cazzetta was sent back to prison for violating his 1993 parole and in 1998
15051-518: The Rock Machine). The extreme levels of violence, assassinations, bombings, arson attacks, fly-by-fire attacks eventually led to the creation and passing of both Bill C-95 in 1997 and Bill C-24 in 2001 – setting forth harsher punishments and penalties for members of gangs and organized crime groups. Over the next several weeks, the violence reached a peak. In one week in September 1995, there
15224-528: The Rock Machine. Émond had just replaced Roy as the president of the Trois-Rivières chapter. On 21 September, the day after Émond's funeral, three Rock Machine members – Benoit Grignon, Daniel Paul and Pierre Patry – were killed as they tried to plant a bomb outside of the Saint-Luc clubhouse of the Jokers, an Angels puppet club whose activities were previously overseen by Émond. Grignon, Paul and Patry died when
15397-516: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), who appointed Corporal Pierre Verdon of Montreal to be his handler. At their first meeting on 4 November 1994, Kane told Verdon that the leader of the Angels in Quebec was Maurice "Mom" Boucher, whom he described as a highly dangerous man who was feared by the other Angels, who was planning to murder anyone who might oppose him in his plans to take over the drug trade in Quebec. Some of
15570-409: The United States in 1994, the Angels saw an opportunity to challenge the Rock Machine. He spent 10 years in a U.S. prison for attempting to smuggle 200 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. Claude Vézina , who was president of the Rock Machine's Quebec City chapter at the time, became the club's new national president. Renaud Jomphe was made president of the Montreal chapter, while Marcel Demers became
15743-523: The activities of the King-in-Council . The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of Quebec are performed by the provincial departments and agencies, staffed by the non-partisan public service and directed by the elected government. The premier of Quebec (French: premier ministre du Québec , lit. 'prime minister of Quebec') is the primary minister of
15916-474: The bargain as Wooley was still a free man and ended its protection for him in 1999, placing him in the general prison population. The Angels put out a jailhouse contract on Simard's life, and in 2003 he was murdered by fellow inmates who stabbed him to death with homemade knives, inflicting over 187 stab wounds, at the federal prison where he was being held in Saskatchewan. In May 1997, Giovanni Cazzetta of
16089-614: The bars and nightclubs on York Street in Ottawa. Steinert also had plans to take over the bars, restaurants and nightclubs of Toronto, Kingston and Winnipeg. Not content with Canada, Steinert had got into contact with a New York Mafia family to send strippers from Quebec to a Mafia-owned resort in the Dominican Republic. The Hells Angels had their own surveillance unit with three vehicles equipped with hidden cameras with batteries that lasted for 72 hours that were discreetly placed on
16262-577: The biker war. In response to the public outrage over the death of Desrochers, the federal, Quebec, and Montreal governments announced on 5 October 1995 the much vaunted Operation Carcajou, an elite joint task force consisting of the best detectives from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Sûreté du Québec and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal that was supposed to end the biker war swiftly and promptly, and bring to justice those responsible for
16435-430: The bikers as the detectives were much more interested in pursuing their vendettas against one another. One detective who served on Operation Carcajou later told journalists William Marsden and Julian Sher that Operation Carcajou was completely ineffective, owing to the poisoned relations between Quebec City and Ottawa during this period. Sergeant Gaetan St.Onge of the RCMP who served with the Carcajou squad stated: "Wolverine
16608-443: The binding advice of the premier and Executive Council. In Canada, lieutenant governor is appointed by the governor general , on the advice of the prime minister of Canada . Thus, it is typically the lieutenant governor whom the premier and ministers advise, in exercising much of the royal prerogative . While the advice of the premier and Executive Council is typically binding on the lieutenant governor, there are occasions when
16781-465: The blast. The bunker received significant damage. Carroll ordered Kane to kill Magnussen, an order that Kane was reticent to fulfill as Magnussen was a full patch Hells Angel while Kane was only a Rocker; such a violation of Angels' etiquette could have resulted in Kane's own murder. At Kane's request, the police visited Magnussen to warn him that the other Angels were planning on killing him, but he dismissed
16954-414: The bombs he had ordered and never spoke again about using bombs. Steinert asked some of his crew what they thought of the bombing ... When they told him they thought the murderer should be liquidated, Steinert didn't respond and became very pensive". According to Kane, Boucher and Steinert had discussed a plan to win over public opinion by killing one of their own in an especially brutal manner out of
17127-677: The club was severely weakened by the Lennoxville massacre on 24 March 1985, when five members of the Angels' chapter in Laval were shot by their clubmates. As the Laval chapter of the Angels had been liquidated, the leaders of the Sorel chapter fled Canada upon learning that they were also targeted. In the aftermath of the massacre, Michel "Sky" Langois , the national president of the Canadian Hells Angels, fled to Morocco after
17300-401: The club's patches. Hang-arounds or support clubs wear support patches with the club's colors. A member must closely guard their colors for allowing one's colors to fall into the hands of an outsider is an act of disgrace and may result in loss of membership in a club, or some other punishment. The colors worn by members of some motorcycle clubs will sometimes follow a convention of using either
17473-413: The club. A 1990 paper noted the changing role of women within outlaw motorcycle clubs, and a 2000 paper stated that they now have agency and political savvy, reframing the narratives of their lives. "We did it. We showed them we are real women dealing with real men. I'd much prefer to be living with an OMC member than some dork who is a pawn in the system", said one woman who felt she and her peers had "set
17646-500: The current jurisprudence. Crown Attorneys in Quebec had the lowest salaries for prosecutors in Canada, receiving half of what Crown Attorneys made in Ontario, and those who took on outlaw biker cases received no security for themselves or their families. Typically a single Crown Attorney would be assigned a case concerning outlaw bikers instead of the four or six that were normally assigned in other provinces, and those who could not handle
17819-629: The death of Desrochers. Operation Carcajou proved to be a fiasco because of politics. From 1994 to 2003, Quebec was governed by the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ) and relations between Ottawa and Quebec City, which were difficult in the best of times, were highly acrimonious. Throughout the biker war, the PQ government blamed the Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien , claiming the existing laws were insufficient to deal with bikers. PQ officials also claimed that Canada needed
17992-528: The denigration of women, maintaining a macho image, and the heavy use of drugs and alcohol. Many non-outlaw motorcycle clubs adopt similar insignia, colors, organizational structures, and trappings to outlaw clubs, making it difficult for outsiders (including police ) to tell the groups apart. Much of the mystique and many of the unwritten rules, values, and ideals of non-outlaw clubs are believed to come from outlaw clubs. Outlaw clubs are often prominent at charity events, such as toy runs. Charitable giving
18165-436: The director of the Carcajou squad. As a result, Arcand was sacked as the chief of the Carcajou squad. Commander Bouchard joined Operation Carcajou in 1995 and started with raiding businesses controlled by the outlaw bikers, always dressed in his full uniform in order to show he was not afraid of the bikers. Initially Bouchard described Carcajou as an impressively well-funded operation with the most modern equipment, but described
18338-400: The drug trade. What the Dark Circle all had in common was that all of them owned bars and/or restaurants from which drugs were sold, and drug money laundered; bars in particular were a business where transactions were often in cash, lending themselves well to money laundering. it was agreed that the Pelletier Clan and the Rock Machine would provide the "muscle" while the Dark Circle would provide
18511-471: The election of enough members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of a single political party in an election to provide a majority of seats, forming a governing party or coalition . The sovereign is King Charles III , Canada's head of state , who is represented provincially in Quebec by the lieutenant governor , presently Manon Jeannotte . King Charles III , as King of Canada
18684-415: The entire club. This appears to make these groups extremely gender segregated. This has not always been the case, as during the 1950s and 1960s, some Hells Angels chapters had female members. Academic research has criticized the methodology of such previous studies as being "vague and hazy", and lacking in participant demography. Such reports may have made clear statements and authoritative analyses about
18857-528: The executive— ministers of the Crown (the Executive Council) of the day, and the non-political staff within each provincial department or agency, i.e. the civil services, whom the ministers direct—which corporately brands itself as the Gouvernement du Québec , or more formally, His Majesty's Government (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté ). The current construct was established when
19030-494: The financial backing. The Dark Circle's leadership was provided by a committee of five. The chairman was Michel Duclos, a Montreal schoolteacher who also owned a bar that was a front for laundering profits from the drug trade. In November 1994, a disgruntled member of the Rockers, Dany Kane , a protégé of senior Angels' leader David "Wolf" Carroll , contacted the Interpol office in Ottawa, saying he wanted to sell information to
19203-509: The following: The late 1970s and early 1980s were considered to be the "golden age" in Western Canada for independent outlaw motorcycle clubs. Outlaw motorcycle clubs first appeared in the Canadian province of Quebec during the early 1950s. By the year 1968, the province was home to at least 350 of such groups – with most of, if not all, being "home-grown" – rather than having origins outside of Canada (or even Quebec). Some of
19376-420: The fuck is going on here? Is this a protected bar? Ah, okay. So they never take down a Hells Angel or a Rock Machine or someone who's in the bar. They let him alone. That's not good". Bouchard also described the Sûreté du Québec detectives as having dubious expense accounts. Bouchard stated: "My guys from Montreal are interrogating a source at some motel and they order a pizza and four Cokes or whatever, talk to
19549-412: The gang. These clubs are referred to as support clubs, satellite clubs or puppet clubs. They act as auxiliary groups, providing support to the larger club by propelling their influence further, acting as sources of recruitment and various other ways in return for protection and to bolster their reputations. Support clubs can also be used to help the principal club facilitate criminal activities. Although
19722-463: The guy for a couple of hours and then they order a club sandwich. But the SQ guys were coming in [with invoices for stays at the] Ritz Carlton, steak dinner, wine. I was asked to sign bills for $ 800. I go 'fuck you, I'm not signing this. You interrogate a piece of shit, you interrogate him in a motel-you don't bring him to the fucking Ritz". Bouchard stated he left Operation Carcajou in 1996 out of disgust with
19895-467: The hierarchical orders and bonds of "amoral familism" of other criminal organizations such as the Mafia. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent William Queen , who infiltrated the Mongols , wrote that what makes a group like them different from the Mafia is that crime and violence are not used as expedients in pursuit of profit, but that the priorities are reversed. Mayhem and lawlessness are inherent in living "The Life" and
20068-413: The highest-quality Angels who had proven themselves could join the Nomads. Several members of the Angels' Montreal chapter—which was the oldest Angels chapter in Canada, being founded in 1977—resented the way in which the Nomads came to overshadow them as the premier Hells Angels chapter in Canada, but none dared to challenge Boucher. In the most notorious incident of guerre des motards , on 9 August 1995,
20241-438: The hope that the public would blame the Rock Machine; Dubé who was a low level drug dealer working for the Angels was chosen as the one to be sacrificed. A RCMP report described Steinert as a "very violent and cruel psychopath who can't control himself", concluding he was the prime suspect for the bombing. The RCMP stated that the fact that whoever controlled the bomb that killed Dubé was aware that there were children playing across
20414-404: The information sold by Kane to the RCMP was self-serving and incorrect, as when he named another Angel as responsible for a murder that he himself had committed in 1995. However, Kane's information was mostly accurate and is the main source of information about the biker war from the Angels' perspective. Kane was leading a double life in more than one sense, as the ostensibly straight Kane was having
20587-569: The largest OMG bust in history, with the confiscation of $ 2 million worth of illegal drugs, as well as an illegal arsenal of weapons, ranging from Uzi submachine guns to antitank weapons. In October 2008, the FBI announced the end of a six-month undercover operation by agents into the narcotics trafficking by the Mongols Motorcycle Club. The bust went down with 160 search warrants and 110 arrest warrants Canada, especially, has in
20760-511: The last one percent were outlaws. The alleged AMA comment, supposedly in reference to the Hollister riot of 1947, is denied by the AMA, who claim to have no record of such a statement to the press and that the story is a misquote. Whether the original quote is true or not, the "1%" patch is worn only by clubs characterized by criminality. Outlaw clubs began wearing the "1%" patch after Hells Angels president Sonny Barger convened
20933-517: The late 20th century experienced a significant upsurge in crime involving outlaw motorcycle clubs, most notably in what has been dubbed the Quebec Biker War , which has involved more than 150 murders (plus a young bystander killed by an exploding car bomb ), 84 bombings , and 130 cases of arson . The increased violence in Canada has been attributed to turf wars over the illegal drug trafficking business, specifically relating to access to
21106-503: The law". The Hells Angels sponsors charitable events for Toys for Tots in an attempt to legitimize themselves with public opinion. Contrary to other criminal organizations, OMGs operate on an individual basis instead of top-down, which is how supporters can claim that only some members are committing crimes. Belonging guarantees to each member the option of running criminal activity, using other members as support—the main characteristic of OMGs being "amoral individualism", in contrast to
21279-536: The lieutenant governor has refused advice. This usually occurs if the premier does not clearly command the confidence of the elected National Assembly. The executive power vested in the Crown is exercised "in-Council", meaning on the advice of the Executive Council; conventionally, this is the Cabinet, which is chaired by the premier and comprises ministers of the Crown . The term Government of Quebec , or more formally, His Majesty's Government refers to
21452-520: The money they obtain by illegal means is only wanted as a way to perpetuate that lifestyle. Recently, authorities have tried tactics aimed at undermining the gang identity and breaking up the membership. But in June 2011 the High Court of Australia overturned a law that outlawed crime-focused motorcycle clubs and required members to avoid contact with one another. In the U.S., a Federal judge rejected
21625-595: The more than 80 bombs bikers planted around the province. Even the New York Mafia in its heyday never produced such carnage, or so terrorized civilians." The Hells Angels first entered Canada via a "patch over" of the Popeyes of Montreal on 5 December 1977, and subsequently established dominance in Quebec during the First Biker War , in which they vanquished the Outlaws from the province. However,
21798-632: The most notable outlaw biker gangs at this time were Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club , Popeye Moto Club , Devil's Disciples Motorcycle Club (unrelated to the American group of the same name ), the Gitans, the Atomes, the Missiles MC, and of course, Hells Angels. The largest, most-feared chapter of Hells Angels was formed in Montreal, Quebec in 1977, when a biker gang called the Popeyes joined up
21971-454: The murder charges. On 30 January 1995, Jacques Ferland, a chemist who worked for the Rock Machine was murdered in Quebec City house, by the Hells Angels hitman Serge Qusnel. On 27 February 1995, Claude Cossette, a Rock Machine member was shot dead as he was sitting in his van. Claude Rivard, a drug dealer for the Pelletier clan, was murdered while his car was stopped for a red light. His killers, Serge Quesnel and Richard Vallée then engaged in
22144-493: The murder of Beaulieu. Pelletier's murder of Beaulieu was classified as second degree murder , despite the fact Beaulieu had fallen asleep after Pelletier got him drunk before he opened fire. Since the murder was premeditated, it should have been classified as a first degree murder . In his plea bargain struck in June 1996, Pelletier was sentenced to life imprisonment with a promise that he receive full parole after 10 years served, in exchange for which he shared all he knew about
22317-543: The needy by driving down public participation and reducing donations. Events such as a 2005 shootout between rival outlaw clubs in the midst of a charity toy drive in California have raised fears about the participation of outlaw biker clubs in charity events. Authorities have attempted to ban outlaw clubs from charity events, or to restrict the wearing of colors at events in order to avert the sort of inter-club violence that has happened at previous charity runs. In 2002,
22490-406: The new member affirms his loyalty to the club and its members. The final logo patch is then awarded. Full members are often referred to as "full patch members" or "patchholders" and the step of attaining full membership can be referred to as "being patched". The majority of members of outlaw motorcycle clubs have no serious criminal record, and express their outlaw status on a social level, equating
22663-668: The number of "white supremacist biker clubs are growing nationwide", according to the ADL . Many members of outlaw motorcycle clubs engage in criminal activities and organized crime and "pose a serious domestic threat". Law enforcement agencies perceive such individuals and motorcycle clubs as being unique among criminal groups because they maintain websites and businesses, identify themselves through patches and tattoos, write and obey constitutions and bylaws, trademark their club names and logos, and even hold publicity campaigns aimed at improving their public image. The term "outlaw motorcycle gang"
22836-525: The only Anglos in the Quebec Angels' leadership. Neither Stadnick nor Stockford spoke French, and police wiretaps showed that when the leaders of the Angels met, interpreters were needed for them to participate. Carroll had spent two years in a Quebec prison between 1985 and 1987 awaiting first-degree murder charges for his role in the Lennoxville massacre, during which he learned some French. At
23009-469: The organized crime in Montreal that was not controlled by the Mafia in the late 1980s and early 1990s. On 26 March 1992, as part of a push to recruit more members, the Hells Angels created a puppet club , the Rockers Motor Club . This was a common tactic on the part of the Angels to provide more manpower and a wider pool of followers willing to commit crimes in order to become Hells Angels. It
23182-420: The other service. The Poitras commission spoke of "a virtual police war was being waged" inside the Carcajou squad with the detectives from the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec openly feuding with each other. The Poitras blasted the chief of the Carcajou squad, Michel Arcand of the Sûreté du Québec , saying he had a "contemptuous" attitude about upholding the law and that it was "totally inappropriate" for him to be
23355-466: The other way. Those policemen unwilling to accept bribes from the bikers found themselves receiving death threats and their cars were torched by arsonists. In 1998, one policeman who worked undercover in Montreal complained it was impossible to have charges filed against the bikers stick in court as judges, prosecutors, and jurors had all been bribed. Benoît Roberge, a senior detective with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal in charge of stopping
23528-620: The outlaw biker's total rejection of social constraints, and desire for the shock value among those who fail to understand the biker way. Most outlaw motorcycle clubs do not allow women to become full-patch members. Rather, in some 1%er clubs, women have in the past been portrayed as submissive or victims to the men, treated as property, forced into prostitution or street-level drug trafficking, and often physically and sexually abused, their roles as being those of obedient followers and their status as objects. These women are claimed to pass over any pay they receive to their partners or sometimes to
23701-481: The outlaw motorcycle club subculture has a tendency to be associated with the United States, a large number of regional scenes have emerged transcontinentally within countless nations across the globe. Europol has reported that there has been steady growth in the membership of outlaw motorcycle clubs worldwide since the year 2005. Outlaw motorcycle clubs are reported to have first appeared in Australia during
23874-511: The patches themselves are referred to as the colors or cut (a term taken from the early practice of cutting the collars or sleeves from a denim or leather jacket). Many non-outlaw motorcycle riding clubs such as the Harley Owners Group also wear patches on the back of their vests, without including the letters MC . The club patches always remain property of the club itself, not the member, and only members are allowed to wear
24047-543: The police. Carroll had founded the Angels' chapter in Halifax in 1984, and moved to Montreal in 1990 to assist the president of the Montreal chapter, Maurice Boucher, although his French was very limited. It is generally believed that Carroll was in Montreal to assist the planned expansion of the Angels into Ontario, since he, together with national president Wolodumir "Walter the Nurget" Stadnick and Donald "Pup" Stockford were
24220-458: The president of the Quebec City chapter until eventually opening the Beauport chapter in late 1996. In the early 1990s, various independent gangs controlled drug sales territories in eastern and northern Montreal, including Saint Denis Street , as well as in Laval, Mascouche , Terrebonne , Saint-Sauveur , and Sainte-Adèle . A number of drug dealers and crime families, such as the Dark Circle,
24393-418: The president of the mother chapter serves as the president of the entire MC, and sets club policy on a variety of issues, whereas other clubs either elect or appoint a National President for this role. Larger motorcycle clubs often acquire real estate for use as a clubhouse or private compound . Clubhouses, which are often fortified and equipped with a sophisticated security system, serve as a meeting place for
24566-566: The pressure were seen as failures by their superiors. As the outlaw bikers usually had well-paid defence lawyers, the Crown Attorneys often found themselves overwhelmed by the heavy burden of work, leading to frequent burnouts. René Domingue, the Crown Attorney who prosecuted the men responsible for the Lennoxville massacre in 1986, was assigned to the Operation Carcajou squad as its legal counsel in 1995. Domingue stated that
24739-422: The prospect may wear the club name on the back of their vest, but not the full logo, though this practice may vary from club to club. To become a full member, the prospect or probate must be voted on by the rest of the full club members. Successful admission usually requires more than a simple majority, and some clubs may reject a prospect or a probate for a single dissenting vote. A formal induction follows, in which
24912-484: The province joined Confederation in 1867. Quebec is a secondary jurisdiction of Canada , a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy in the Westminster tradition ; a Premier —presently François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec —is the head of government and is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the confidence of the National Assembly, typically determined through
25085-412: The rationale being that a UC [undercover] cop or similar wouldn't have the stomach for this or have the necessary authority to actually commit crimes. The downside of this is that the attrition rate is high ... However, those determined to wear the patch will ... do as they are ordered and that's what makes these gangs so dangerous." The war began as the Hells Angels in Quebec began to make
25258-648: The record straight". One woman in 2001 described the previous work done by men about women in the outlaw motorcycle club world by saying "the men that wrote that must be meatheads". They [women] are part of the scene because they want to be and enjoy it. These women have broken from society's stereotypically defined roles and find freedom with the biker world. High-profile outlaw bikers have historically been white and their clubs are typically exclusively racially homogeneous. Other sources state outright, that "With few exceptions, blacks are excluded from membership or riding with one-percenter biker clubs." The average age for
25431-601: The request of Carroll and Stadnick, Kane had founded a puppet club for the Angels in Toronto called the Demon Keepers Motorcycle Club. However, the Demon Keepers ended in fiasco, with the entire group being put behind bars by authorities without making a single drug sale and Kane sought revenge by working with the police. Interpol put Kane into contact with Staff Sergeant Jean-Pierre Lévesque of
25604-411: The role of women associated with outlaw motorcycle clubs, but few state how they have come to such conclusions; one admitting that, "[his] interviews with biker women were limited lest [his] intentions were misinterpreted" by their male companions and that such views of women are mythic and "sexist research" in itself, using deeply flawed methodologies and serve two highly political purposes of maintaining
25777-505: The state, and the occasional interested third party organization, and hold periodic meetings on neutral ground where representatives from each club meet in closed session to resolve disputes between clubs and discuss issues of common interest. Local coalitions or confederations of clubs have eliminated some of the inter-club rivalry and together they have acted to hire legal and PR representation. Larger outlaw motorcycle clubs will often establish localized smaller clubs that are subservient to
25950-406: The street fitted in with what was known of Steinert's character and with what Kane had reported. Commander André Bouchard of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal stated: "I'm convinced today that the person who pressed the button to have the bomb explode saw children across the street. There was no way he could not see the children across the street". Renaud Jomphe who was president of
26123-496: The streets to collect footage of various targets. The funeral of Mafia boss Frank Cotroni's mother was recorded as Boucher wanted footage of the faces and the license plates of all who attended the funeral. He was planning to liquidate the Cotroni family once he was finished with the Rock Machine. Boucher approved of Steinert, whose work ethic contrasted strongly with Carroll who was a self-proclaimed "party animal". Kane mentioned to
26296-414: The suburb of Verdun. As one of the club's most prominent members, Marcel Demers, became an assassination target for the Hells Angels. In December 1996, Bruno Van Lerberghe, a member of the Quebec City chapter of the Hells Angels, was killed when while he eating at a restaurant, being shot six times. In February 1997, Magnussen beat up Leonardo Rizzuto, the son of Vito Rizzuto , in a bar fight, which led to
26469-611: The terms of his plea bargain, under which he promised not to commit any more crimes, when he was caught in 2002 attempting to bribe another prison inmate to kill a prisoner whom he disliked, allowing the Crown to revoke its agreement and Pelletier was not released in June 2006 as was promised 10 years earlier. Pelletier finally received full parole in December 2013 after he completed his high school equivalency degree, started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and demonstrated an ability to get along with penitentiary staff. In January 1996,
26642-488: The three-piece patch arrangement, this is not necessarily an indication that a club is an outlaw motorcycle club. Law enforcement agencies have confiscated colors and other club paraphernalia of these types of clubs when they raid a clubhouse or the home of a MC member, and they often display these items at press conferences. These items are then used at trial to support prosecution assertions that MC members perform criminal acts on behalf of their club. Courts have found that
26815-486: The uncooperative attitude of the Sûreté du Québec , saying: "They were doing secret jobs. We didn't know. We found out the next morning: there'd be seven guys in the cells. Where the fuck did they come from? That's when it got a little rough". Despite the outrage, little was done to stop the carnage as the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal , which has long been notorious as the most corrupt police force in Canada, preferred to take bribes from both biker gangs and look
26988-648: The warnings completely as a police provocation intended to turn him against his "brothers". In December 1995, Steinert purchased the mansion previously owned by the Lavigueur family in the 1980s, on Laval's expensive Île aux Pruches island (part of the Hochelaga Archipelago ), where he was married in the summer of 1996. A deportation order was served on Steinert, who was born in Milwaukee, ordering him to leave Canada by 14 November 1996, but his lawyer
27161-468: The word "outlaw" with disregard for the law of groups like the American Motorcyclist Association , not the laws of government. Outlaw bikers view themselves as a fraternity of men who reject societal norms, and their sense of brotherhood is reflected in tattoos, the wearing of club " colors ", and earning ranks and titles within a club or chapter. However, there is also a subculture of outlaw biker activity which revolves around performing outrageous acts,
27334-522: Was Guy Lepage, a former Montreal police officer dismissed from the force for associating with Mafiosi, who became his main contact with the Mafia . Boucher's defection to the Hells Angels resulted in a rift with Cazzetta, who had sworn against working with the Angels over their involvement in the Lennoxville massacre the previous year. Cazzetta instead formed his own motorcycle club, the Rock Machine, with his brother Giovanni . Around this time, Quebec had earned
27507-413: Was a total circus. The SQ was jealous of the RCMP source [Kane]. They were always asking his name. The SQ used to give out the names of their sources all the time. They didn't care if they were blown. They treated them like dirt. At meetings they would just blurt their sources's name and expect everybody to keep it quiet". Typical of the approach of the Carcajou squad was the police reaction to the funeral of
27680-416: Was able to void the deportation order, arguing that Steinert had just married a Canadian woman with whom he had a child, making it inhumane to send him back to the United States. Besides the marriage ceremony at Lavigueur mansion, Steinert also used the estate to make a pornographic film entitled The Babe Angel , starring himself and 9 of his prostitutes. In August 1996, Salvatore Cazzetta who was being held in
27853-540: Was accepted by the otherwise all-white Angels as he was their best killer. Wooley had founded a street gang of fellow Haitian immigrants, based in the north end of Montreal in the poor neighborhood of St. Michel where many Haitians lived, initially known as the Crack Down Posse (CDP), and was renamed the Syndicate in 1998. They wore blue gang colors that were closely modeled after the hats and clothing worn by
28026-460: Was acting very strangely after the death of Desrochers. Kane described Steinert as acting very worried, and expressing the fear that he might finally have go to prison or be deported from Canada, which led Kane to the conclusion that he was the one who planted the bomb that had killed Desrochers, and was now worried about a police crackdown (Steinert felt no guilt about the death of a child). Kane reported: "Since that day, Steinert no longer talked about
28199-508: Was an assassination in a parking lot; bombings at a strip club, a bar and the mansion of an organized crime figure; arson attacks on a pawn shop, tanning salon and a used-car lot; and a friendly-fire incident where bikers accidentally killed three members of their own club. The Hells Angels (or "H-A" as they're often referred to) were, and continue to be, one of the more prominent biker gangs still in existence today in Quebec and other regions of Canada – having at least 34 different chapters across
28372-483: Was coined by the journalist Hunter S. Thompson in 1966 and was subsequently adopted by federal and local law enforcement agencies in the United States and elsewhere. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Criminal Intelligence Service Canada have designated four MCs as "outlaw motorcycle gangs": the Hells Angels , the Pagans , the Outlaws , and the Bandidos , known as the "Big Four". These four have
28545-417: Was fatally injured by shrapnel as he was playing near a jeep that was blown up. Peter Edwards, the crime correspondent of The Toronto Star , wrote the Rock Machine "wasn't really a motorcycle club at all: members didn't have to own a bike to bike. What brothers Giovannia (Johnny) and Salvatore Cazzetta sought to create was a cohesive confederation of drug-dealing groups". The Hells Angels attempted to dislodge
28718-425: Was killed by the Hells Angels, who threatened to murder any drug dealer who did not buy their supplies from them. After these killings, an increasingly murderous struggle for the control of the drug trade in Montreal began between the Hells Angels and the Rock Machine that would not end until 2002. The favorite weapon of both biker gangs was dynamite stolen from mines and construction sites. The use of dynamite came with
28891-468: Was promoted to president of the Quebec City chapter. The success of the Sensations escort service caused tensions with Carroll, whose Adventure escort service suffered as Steinert wanted all of the profits from prostitution for himself. Steinert founded what he called his Groupe de Cinq to take over all the bars and night clubs on Crescent Street in Montreal and branching out into Ontario to take over
29064-400: Was refused. This was a huge case with all sorts of proof, electronic wiretaps, an informant. And I was told, 'There's nobody available ' ". In the middle of the trial, Dufresne suffered what she called her "humiliating" nervous breakdown. Dufrense has not tried a case since 1998, saying: "I adore it, but I am not longer capable. You push and push and push until the machine breaks. The vision here
29237-481: Was sentenced to 9 years after his conviction. Matticks was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec ( French : Gouvernement du Québec ) also known as His Majesty's Government for Quebec is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Quebec . The term Government of Quebec (French: Gouvernement du Québec ) is typically used to refer to
29410-471: Was shot dead by three Rock Machine associates while working in his motorcycle shop in Rivière-des-Prairies . The following day, Rockers member Normand "Norm" Robitaille survived a shooting in Montreal. Later on 14 July, the Sûreté du Québec arrested five Rock Machine members, including Normand Baker, who were found in possession of firearms, explosives and detonators while en route to attack
29583-422: Was shot dead while drinking in a Montreal bar. On 4 December 1994, another Rock Machine member, Bruno Bandiera, was killed when his bomb he was transporting in his car exploded prematurely. The Pelletier Clan and the Rock Machine were the most visible parts of the "Alliance to fight the Angels", but its most influential part was the secretive Dark Circle, a group of Montreal businessmen who were secretly engaging in
29756-434: Was terrified of his homosexuality being exposed. Simard also turned on his lover Kane, revealing to the police that Kane had committed three murders over the last two years which caused the RCMP to sever contact with Kane for two years. Simard gave the Crown evidence that Gregory "Pissaro" Wooley — a Haitian immigrant who was working as Boucher's bodyguard — was an assassin for the Angels, saying that, despite being black, Wooley
29929-429: Was the biggest pimp in Montreal, owning the Sensations escort service, whose office in Montreal was destroyed in a case of arson in August 1996 by the Rock Machine. In mid 1996. Marcel Demers , who had been acting president of the Quebec City chapter created a second Rock Machine chapter in the city, it was located in the suburb of Beauport . With Demers becoming the president of the new Beauport chapter, Frédéric Faucher
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