With the flash of all the cameras, Maurice “Mom” Boucher seemed to thrive and was not to shy away from fame.
Boucher died Sunday in prison of throat cancer at age 69, according to Corrections Canada.
“This is like dying Al Capone or dying John Gotti,” said Julien Sher, an investigative journalist and author of two books on the Hells Angels. “Mother Boucher was a leader, one of the best known leaders of organized crime.”
As head of the Hells Angels biker gang in the 1990s, Boucher sowed fear and terror in Montreal.
It was their territory and they wanted everyone to know it, no matter the price, experts say.
“He ruled the streets of Montreal,” Sher explained. “He was responsible for most of the cocaine distribution, he brought millions to the Hells Angels, but he also unleashed a wave of terror on that city.”
The story continues under the ad
Read more: Maurice ‘Mom’ Boucher, former head of the Hells Angels, dies in cancer prison
Boucher had been battling cancer for seven years and was transferred to palliative care on June 10th. He recently turned 69 on June 21st.
Trend stories
-
Rogers’ interruption exposes Canada’s reliance on telecommunications: “We don’t have many options”
-
Rogers Interruption: What We Know So Far About Refunds for Friday’s Service Interruption
John Galianos, a retired provincial police officer who worked on the Hells Angels file, said Boucher liked to intimidate.
Galianos recalled that Boucher would parade in front of police officers. “There I went to what we say in French to‘ annoy them ’, to make fun of them,” Galianos said.
In an effort to destabilize the justice system, Boucher ordered the 1997 assassination of two prison guards, Pierre Rondeau and Diane Lavigne, who were chosen at random.
There was an attack on the life of a third guard.
Boucher was arrested and charged, but not convicted.
“When he was first acquitted, people applauded,” Galianos said.
READ MORE: Maurice “Mom” Boucher pleads guilty to murder conspiracy charge involving rival
Eventually, his reign began to crumble when his people began to turn against him: loyal followers became informants, experts say.
The story continues under the ad
The untouchable chief was arrested and tried again.
The second time, in 2002, he was found guilty of first-degree murder by the death of prison guards.
Guy Ouellette, a member of the Quebec National Assembly and retired provincial police officer, said his first thoughts on learning of the death were for Boucher’s innocent victims.
“The collateral damage was called that. I hope it never happens again,” Ouellette said.
Boucher died while incarcerated in the palliative care ward of a correctional health care facility affiliated with the Archambault Federal Penitentiary in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., Where he had been serving a life sentence in a row. for the last 20 years.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.