The raids, conducted by the Sûreté du Québec, were carried
out in 20 different communities across the two provinces, including in the
Lower St. Lawrence region, the Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands.
Among the objects police seized were jackets bearing Hells Angels insignia. (Sûreté du Québec)
The SQ says that, in a period of just four months, the
trafficking network brought in $2.4 million, of which $250,000 was given
directly to the Hells Angels as a distribution tax.
"The Hells Angels control the territory and allowed networks
to sell drugs. Those networks then paid a tax based on the quantity of drugs
sold," SQ spokesperson Capt. Guy Lapointe said at a news conference in
Quebec City.
"The Hells Angels have a monopoly, which they maintain
with a regime of fear, violence and with their colours."
Among those arrested were prominent members of the New
Brunswick Hells Angels chapter, police say.
They are still searching for four other alleged participants
in the network
The people who were arrested today will appear in the
courthouses of the Magdalen Islands, Percé, Rimouski and Quebec City.
Among the objects police seized were:
Six kilograms of cocaine.
More than 232,000 methamphetamine tablets.
More than $640,000.
23 firearms.
Three vehicles.
Eight vests with Hells Angels insignia.
Officers from the SQ's organized crime squad and its North
Shore branch were involved in the raids, she said.
The operation, launched in August 2018, is called the Oursin
project. More than 150 police officers participated in the investigations.
SOURCE: CBC