Pubdate: Fri, 07 Nov 2003 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Don Campbell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?188 (Outlaw Bikers) JAIL NO LONGER DETERRENT ENOUGH Police: Hope Series Of Raids This Week, Seizure Of $4.5M In Assets, Will Help Prevent Criminal Activity A mansion in Lac-Simon, north of Montebello, valued at almost $3 million. A large home in Boucherville, south of Montreal. Four motorcycles, including high-end Harley Davidsons. Boats, personal watercraft, ATVs and luxury cars. Investment portfolios and another $230,375 in cash. The impressive list is part of more than $4.5 million in assets seized from 32 people arrested and charged this week -- the culmination of an 18-month police probe targeting organized crime and motorcycle gangs involved in Quebec's drug trade. Arrest warrants have been issued for three more people. "Incarceration is no longer deterrent enough for some of these people," RCMP Insp. Mike Cabana said yesterday as police forces from across West Quebec -- including the Surete du Quebec, Gatineau police, the RCMP, MRC des Collines and Montreal-area forces -- celebrated their sting, dubbed Operation Hurricane. "Now you can impact people through the proceeds-of-crime section (and) it can become more of a deterrent," said Insp. Cabana. "The mandate of the section is to eliminate the incentive to commit criminal activity and we've been going at it for more than a decade. In that respect, this operation was quite successful." More than 300 police officers fanned out along the Outaouais-Montreal corridor to execute more than 30 raids, aiming to break up four separate cells of organized crime -- which trafficked in marijuana and cocaine and had close ties to motorcycle gangs, including Hells Angels and the Rockers. All property and assets seized during the series of pre-dawn raids on Wednesday will be held pending the outcome of prosecutions against the people charged. If successful, the assets will then become property of the Crown. "This was a grand success," said Lieut. Benoit Charron, a Gatineau police officer involved in the investigation. "And in any file like this, there is always further intelligence which is collected and may be useful to other police services, possibly in Ottawa and with the OPP. "Operations like this sometimes take three and four years to put together. This one was completed satisfactorily within an 18-month period. That is excellent work and an indication of the collaboration between the different police agencies." The arrested included a criminal defence lawyer from Montreal, Benoit Cliche, who on Monday represented Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher in a Montreal court. Mr. Cliche appeared briefly by video remand and is expected to spend several days in custody before a bail hearing. Also arrested was businessman Pierre Larose, who owns the $2.7-million mansion in Lac-Simon, about 100 kilometres northeast of Gatineau. His property will be held by the court, meaning he can continue to live in the home, but can't further finance the property or divest himself of it until his case concludes. Lieut Charron said Mr. Cliche wasn't part of the case when the investigation began in June 2002. But, he said, evidence was found during the course of the investigation which led police to believe Mr. Cliche was participating in organized crime. "Overall, we believe we were able to destabilize part of the trafficking network in the Outaouais." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin