Kingpin and cocaine importer Raymond Desfossés was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) early Tuesday morning in a major anti-drug operation, La Presse learned.
Posted 9:36am Updated 10:14am
Desfossés, 72, was arrested at his home in the Trois-Rivières region for violating his release conditions.
Desfossés, who was released from prison on two-thirds of his sentence in 2017, is still serving a lengthy sentence, according to our information, on cocaine importation and conspiracy to murder charges and his parole has been suspended.
“The Parole Board of Canada issued an arrest warrant, suspension and reinstatement relating to a probation violation, and we have executed it,” RCMP Sergeant Charles Poirier said, without confirming the identity of the arrested individual.
Desfossés was arrested during a series of eight searches carried out by the RCMP as part of an investigation into “a criminal organization in the Trois-Rivières region involved in cocaine trafficking”, Mr Poirier explained.
About 70 police officers, investigators, members of the Tactical Intervention Group and members of other support services are taking part in these searches, which began at 5:30 a.m. and took place in Trois-Rivières, Montreal, Quebec and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
This cafe in Montreal’s Mile End was raided by the RCMP.
In Montreal, the search takes place in a café in the Mile End district.
These are searches that are being investigated. At the moment, apart from Desfossés, no one has been arrested for non-compliance.
Long criminal career
As of 2017, Desfossés was serving an 18-year sentence on charges of possessing criminally-obtained property, importing cocaine, laundering the proceeds of crime, fraud, drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit murder, and gangsterism.
His last conviction came after his arrest in 2009 following the confessions of former killer Gérald Gallant.
The latter had said that he received at least six assignments from Desfossés to eliminate people associated with the Hells Angels, including their former leader Maurice Boucher, during the biker war that took place between 1994 and 2002.
In 2005, Desfossés was convicted of importing 750 kilograms of cocaine.
The boss was also arrested in the United States after being convicted of a 1985 unpremeditated murder.
Retired
Appearing before Canada’s parole board in 2017, Desfossés, who has health problems, said he wanted to retire from the criminal world.
The stewards, noticing a number of improvements in his behavior and motivation, had relaxed some special conditions in recent years; In particular, Desfossés was no longer under house arrest, he was no longer under curfew, all electronic surveillance was removed and he no longer had to report to a police station every month.
With his parole suspended, Desfossés will have to appear again before the commissioners in the coming months and they will decide whether to release him or have his parole revoked.
To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514.285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the La Presse mailing address.