A total of nine people appeared in Bathurst provincial court on Wednesday in connection with a lengthy drug investigation linked to the outlaw Hells Angels motorcycle gang.
New Brunswick RCMP say eight men and one woman — all from New Brunswick — were arrested in various locations in northern New Brunswick on Tuesday and Wednesday.
READ MORE: Police in Quebec make several dozen Hells Angels-related arrests
According to police, the investigation into cocaine trafficking on the Acadian Peninsula and Restigouche, Madawaska and Victoria counties started in November 2016.
Police have laid the following charges:
Marcel Friolet, 58, Allardville, N.B., Éric Degrâce, 43, Évangéline, N.B., and Danny Smith, 45, Allardville, N.B., have each been charged with:
- Commission of offence for criminal organization
- Instructing commission of offence for criminal organization
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to possess cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Julie Michaud, 35, Allardville, N.B., has been charged with:
- Conspiracy to traffic cocaine
- Trafficking cocaine
- Conspiracy to possess cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Éric Doucet, 40, and John Watson, 55, both from Allardville, N.B., have each been charged with:
- Commission of offence for criminal organization
- Trafficking cocaine
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Daniel Duguay, 58, Saint-Irénée-et-Alderwood, N.B., and Jason Poirier, 40, Inkerman, N.B., have each been charged with:
- Trafficking cocaine
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
Gabriel Friolet, 65, Allardville, N.B., has been charged with:
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Marcel Friolet, Éric Degrâce and Danny Smith remain in custody and are scheduled to appear in court on May 30.
Julie Michaud, Éric Doucet, John Watson, Jason Poirier, Daniel Duguay and Gabriel Friolet have been released on conditions and are scheduled to return to court on May 28.
READ MORE: Halifax police say Hells Angels member and 2 others face multiple charges after drug raid
The New Brunswick investigation took place at the same time Sûreté du Québec were conducting their own investigation into outlaw motorcycle groups. RCMP say the two investigations were separate, but they did have some information in common.
A Montreal-area police officer was among more than 60 people arrested in the Quebec operation.
Provincial police in Quebec say they dismantled three narcotics sales networks from the leadership right down to the distributors.
They estimate the networks had made $10 million over eight months trafficking cocaine and synthetic drugs.
Some of the accused are also charged with fentanyl and cannabis trafficking.
Police say all of those arrested were either members or associates of the Hells Angels, with the exception of a municipal police officer from Repentigny who allegedly acted as a courier for the Hells members.
*With a file from The Canadian Press
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