https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1097202/hells-angels-associes-arrestation-nouveau-brunswickThe number of people arrested in New Brunswick following raids on the Hells Angels and associates in NB and Quebec is now nine. Seven of them appeared in court in Bathurst on Wednesday morning.
The accused come from Allardville, in the Chaleur region, the Acadian Peninsula and Miramichi.
Four of them first appeared. They are John Watson, Eric Doucet, Jason Poirier and Daniel Duguay. They face charges related to the possession of narcotics - particularly cocaine - for the purpose of trafficking. They were released pending their next appearance on May 28.
Three others followed: Eric Degrace, Marcel Friolet and Danny Smith. They face eight charges. The Crown opposed their release. They will be appearing again in the next few days for a bail hearing.
The accused are among the 64 people arrested in Quebec and New Brunswick during a series of raids carried out by the Sûreté du Québec and the RCMP on Tuesday.
The RCMP says the investigation is ongoing and more arrests could be made.
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Dismantling of three Hells Angels narcotics distribution networks
The Hells Angels at the doors of the Maritimes
In November 2016, police began investigating cocaine trafficking on the Acadian Peninsula and in Restigouche, Madawaska and Victoria Counties. The investigators concluded that the drug came from the Hells Angels in Quebec.
The men arrested on Tuesday are not members of the Hells Angels, but the police believe they have links to criminal biker gangs in New Brunswick and Quebec.
The RCMP investigation, to which the Edmundston police force collaborated, was conducted at the same time as the Sûreté du Québec, but these were two separate investigations. Both police services collaborated by exchanging information.
Based on information from François Vigneault
