'Mom' Boucher, daughter charged with conspiracy to commit murder

Members of the Hells Angels, street gangs,alleged members of the Montreal Mafiaand the son of Vito Rizzuto are facing charges including conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal weapons possession following a series of high-profile raids in the Montreal area on Thursday.

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Those arrested and charged include Maurice (Mom)Boucher, the imprisoned former boss of the Hells Angels in Quebec, and his daughter Alexandra Mongeau.

Along with Hells Angels member Gregory Woolley, they are facing a charge of conspiring to murder RaynaldDesjardins.

Desjardinsis a former lieutenant in theRizzutocrime family.Earlier this year hepleaded guiltyto conspiringto commit the murder ofSalvatoreMontagna, who was killed in 2011.

Along with Boucher, Mongeau and Woolley, a total of 48alleged members of the Hells Angels and Montreal Mafiawere arraigned at the Montreal andLongueuilcourthouses on Thursday afternoon following the early morning raids.

Quebec provincial policeLt.BenoitDubsaid the Thursday morningraids, dubbed operationsMagotand Mastiff, targeted the "union" of Hells Angels, Mafia and street gangs.

"We arrested all the persons who were making the decisions,"Dubtold a news conferenceThursday morning

Leonardo Rizzutoand StfanoSollecito arefacing charges of committingan offence for a criminal organization and drug trafficking.

Rizzuto, who is a lawyer, smiled throughout his appearance at Montreal court late Thursday afternoon. He will remain in custody at least two weekssince his bail hearing takes place on Nov. 25.

Leonardo's father Vito Rizzuto, longtimepatriarch of the top local Mafia clan,died of natural causes in 2013. His brother Nick Jr. and grandfather Nicolo wereshot dead in separate incidents in 2010.

Mongeau whose long-incarcerated father MauriceBoucheris another larger-than-life crime figure appeared in Montreal court Thursday on charges of dealing instolen goods. Those proceedings have been suspended, but she will be in Longueuil court Friday to face the murder conspiracy charge.

Mongeaugave birth about three weeks ago, andher lawyer has pleaded with a judge to allow her tobe released on conditions,as she isbreastfeeding her newborn.

Hells Angels connections

Boucher was already serving a life sentence ontwo counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two prison guards.Boucherwas arrested in his cell Thursday morning.

Woolley, a member of the Hells Angelsandthe reputed leader of the Syndicates, a street gangformed by the Hells Angels at the height of theirbloody 1990s biker war with the Rock Machine has been charged with multiple counts of drug trafficking in addition to the conspiracy to commit murder charge.

Three other people are still being sought by police:Dominique Gauthier, Jos McCarthy and Patrick Williams.

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'Strategic alliance'

AntonioNicaso, a Toronto-based author andorganizedcrime expert, said theMafia, the Hells Angelsand streetgangs havebeen working together to gain a better hold on organized crime.

"They were forging a strategic alliance to control some important sources of revenue such as drug trafficking," he said.

Those arrested are expected to face a series of charges including gangsterism, conspiracy to commit murder and drugs and firearms charges.

Roughly 200 officers from the RCMP, Quebec provincial police and Montreal policetook part in the operation.

Police say theyseized 41 firearms, $1.2 million incash, 122cell phones and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.