Nomads make return to Ottawa

The Hells Angels Nomads are makingtheir comeback in the Ottawa area for the first time since violent in-fighting in thesummer of 2016 forced them to lielow, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada.

According to anonymous police sources, the Ottawa-basedNomads chapter recently obtained a new charter from the Hells Angels, but will need to be careful not to encroach on territory ruled by Quebec Hells Angels.

The Hells Angels do not hesitate to take out their weapons to protect their territories.- AndrCdilot, author

Fortwo decades the Quebec chapter of the Hells Angels basedin Sherbrooke enjoyed massive profitsfrom drug sales in Ottawa andSudbury.

The Ottawa-basedchapter of the Nomads was founded in the early2000sby former Rock Machine member Paul Porter. According to anonymous police sources, the group expanded rapidly into theOutaouais,Abitibi-Tmiscamingueand northern Ontario after arrests in 2009 decimated the Quebec Hells Angels.

The drug revenue the Sherbrooke-based Hells Angels had enjoyed began to dwindle, and the remaining Quebec gang members lashed out to protect their territory.

Violent summer

On the morning of April 16, 2016 former Olympic boxer andOntario Nomads vice-president Phil Boudreault was injured in a drive-by shooting inLachute, Que. There was a second attack afew weeks later inGranby, Que.

Then on Aug. 12, 2016, Martin Bernatchez, presidentof the Hells Angels Nomads of Ontario, was shot three times inSherbrooke, in the heart of the Quebec gang's territory.

"They protect these territories against all intrusions, whether external or internal," organized crime expert and author Andr Cdilotsaid in French.

"The Hells Angels do not hesitate to take out their weapons to protect their territories."

Police operation

In the midst of that violenceSret du QubeclaunchedOperation Muraille, aimed at dismantlinga drug production and trafficking network used by the Hells Angels in the Granby region. High-ranking members of both the Sherbrooke Hells Angelsand the Ontario Nomads were arrested, along with a lawyer acting as a mediator between the two groups.

The arrests appeared to destabilizea fragileunion between the factions, and long-standing territorial tensions boiled over again.According to police sources, it wasOntario Nomads who broke the truce.

"This is not the first time that members in good standing have broken the rules of the organization. And when that happens, let's say that the Hells do not hesitate to eliminate them," Cdilot explained.

Nomads return to Ottawa

At the height of theinternecinedispute in July 2016, the Ottawa Nomads welcomed more than 700Hells Angels members and supporters from across Canada to Ottawafor a national "marathon," one of the criminal group's biggest gatherings.

The Sherbrooke Hells Angels did not attend.In the end, the Quebec group won out, and the Ontario Nomads disbanded.

Now the gangappears to be returning to the capital.The size of their current roster is unknown.

Signs of their returninclude a major police operation in Decemberthat led to charges against 16 people in Ottawa-Gatineau.