Police searches target drug traffickers associated with Hells Angels
Posted March 29, 2023 1:28 pm.
Various police forces in Quebec conducted searches Wednesday in Montreal, Laval and the Laurentians targeting senior leaders associated with the Hells Angels and the mafia.
Eight searches by ENRCO (l’Escouade nationale de répression du crime organisé) took place in Montreal, Laval, Estérel, Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, Sainte-Sophie, Blainville and Mirabel.
According to information obtained by The Canadian Press, the searches were aimed at the homes of Martin Robert, Stéphane Plouffe and Michel Lamontagne and a relative of the Rizzuto clan, Francesco Del Balso.
Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau of the Sûreté du Québec did not confirm the identities.
“Some people in this network are influential people, including members of the Hells Angels and other less influential people, but still involved in this drug trafficking network that we wanted to put an end to,” she said.
“These are really searches that target drug trafficking. This network mainly supplies cocaine to sales networks.”
No arrests were expected for now, as the police are first looking for evidence before laying charges.
The operation mobilized some 70 police officers from the Sûreté du Québec and police departments in Montreal, Laval, Blainville and Mirabel.
—This report by La Presse Canadienne was first published in French and translated by CityNews
