Hells Angels arrive in St-Charles-sur-Richelieu for annual gathering

Members of the Hells Angels biker gang and their sympathizers have begun arriving in Quebec for a weekend gathering.

Authorities ramped up checkpoints and their overall presence Friday in the southwestern Quebec region where gang members will be staying.

READ MORE: Hells Angels, over 500 bikers expected near Saint-Hyacinthe, police ask public to avoid area

The Canada Run, the Hells’ annual gathering, is being held this year in St-Charles-sur-Richelieu, southeast of Montreal.

Authorities say some 500 full-patch Hells members and up to 200 sympathizers are expected to attend.

Police were keeping tabs today on who was coming into the area before allowing them to proceed.

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The gathering is being held in Quebec for the first time since 2008.

READ MORE: ‘The Hells Angels are the concern’: RCMP working to combat outlaw motorcycle gangs in Nova Scotia

The mandatory meeting for full-patch members is described by authorities as a show of force by the gang, with rivals and police the target audience.

Police say the 500-odd full-patch members across the country include 80 in Quebec where the gang is stronger than ever and controls between 95 and 98 of the drug trafficking market.