Pubdate: Thu, 07 Dec 2000 Source: Globe and Mail (Canada) Copyright: 2000, The Globe and Mail Company Contact: http://www.globeandmail.ca/ Forum: http://forums.theglobeandmail.com/ Author: RHEAL SEGUIN QUEBEC ARRESTS LATEST BLOW TO BIKERS Drug-Related Charges Of 15 People The Latest Step In Police Crackdown In The Province QUEBEC -- The former Rock Machine biker gang was delivered a crippling blow when its leaders were arrested yesterday on drug charges as part a sweeping police operation in the Quebec City region. Marcel Demers, the founding member of the Rock Machine, and Frederic Faucher, the gang's leader, were arrested along with 13 other people in a police operation that began more than a year ago, aimed at the dismantling of a major drug ring in the region. Key suppliers, couriers and street pushers were also arrested. According to police, Mr. Faucher recently negotiated his group's becoming members of the Texas-based Bandidos biker-gang. The arrest of the two Rock Machine kingpins means they will be behind bars at the same time as their bitter rival, Maurice (Mom) Boucher, the head of the Hells Angels in Quebec. For six years, the two gangs had been embroiled in a bloody turf war until they agreed to a truce in September after a botched murder attempt on Montreal crime reporter Michel Auger. The incident triggered a public outcry and a police crackdown that jeopardized the illicit drug business in Quebec. The regional antigang police squad specifically targeted the gang leaders but also directed its aim at dismantling their entire network. The drug ring sold an estimated two kilograms of cocaine a month worth $400,000, police say. Police were unable to place a figure on the value of other drugs they say were involved, including PCP, Ecstasy and hashish. Yesterday police seized cocaine, PCP, and small amounts of other drugs, as well as $10,000 in cash, two guns and three vehicles. The 15 gang members arrested will be charged with drug trafficking and conspiracy to traffic drugs, but a police official said there will probably be more charges once the Crown prosecutor has a chance to review the evidence gathered. Three people whom police describe as Mr. Faucher's principal lieutenants were among those arrested. They are Gerald Gagnon, Michel Langlois and Simon Bedard, who in January, 1995, was the target of an assassination when a bomb blew up his truck. Mr. Bedard, who lost a leg in the blast, was arrested in St-Lin, north of Montreal. Surete du Quebec Sergeant Denis Alain said police hope the charges will strike a major blow against the Rock Machine and the biker gang's attempts at setting up a base for the Bandidos. "I can't say that we have annihilated the group. There are still eight or 10 individuals who are members and who are still free. Our investigation will continue. We still have a lot of work to do," Sgt. Alain said. The head of the police's regional antigang investigating unit, Paul Laplante did not deny that the arrests coincided with reports that the Rock Machine had disbanded on Dec. 1 to become "probationary Bandidos." He also said it was difficult to speculate what the impact of yesterday's arrests would be on truce talks held recently between the Rock Machine and the Hells Angels. According to Yves Lavigne, journalist and author of three books on the Hells Angels, only the biker gangs themselves know what the impact will be on the recent truce. "The only comment to be made on the truce will be made by the bikers themselves -- with cadavers -- should the truce be broken," Mr. Lavigne said yesterday. "The reasoning that made these two gangs sit down at the table was that the public, the police and media attention was bad for business. And their whole reason for being is to make money. That hasn't changed. From a business and political point of view it would be stupid to go back to war." Mr. Lavigne also noted that as long as the network remained in place, gang leaders easily managed their business from behind bars. But if the police are right in claiming that the gang's entire network was undermined by the arrests, Mr. Lavigne said it could cripple the gang's money supply, as well as its ability to survive. Yesterday's arrests bring to 20 the total number of members of the former Rock Machine who are in prison, out of 32 full-fledged members and potential prospects in Quebec. According to police, 15 of 27 Hells Angels members and prospects in Quebec were also behind bars. Police believe that the timing of the arrests could not have been worse for Mr. Faucher, who lost both credibility and influence in his attempts to have the Rock Machine become full-fledged members of the Bandidos. Yesterday, police searched a number of premises but failed to come up with a Bandidos crest, jacket or colours which, according to Mr. Lavigne, could indicate that, contrary to what police have said, the talks led by Mr. Faucher have not yet been completed. The Bandidos were created in 1966 and have 109 chapters in 11 countries. If successful, the Rock Machine would become the first Bandidos chapter in Canada. By comparison, the Hells Angels have 167 chapters in 21 countries. After Mr. Auger was shot, the leaders of the two gangs met secretly in a small room at the Quebec City courthouse, creating a public outcry. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom