JAIL NO LONGER DETERRENT ENOUGH

Police: Hope Series Of Raids This Week, Seizure Of $4.5M In Assets, Will
Help Prevent Criminal Activity

A mansion in Lac-Simon, north of Montebello, valued at almost $3
million. A large home in Boucherville, south of Montreal. Four
motorcycles, including high-end Harley Davidsons. Boats, personal
watercraft, ATVs and luxury cars. Investment portfolios and another
$230,375 in cash.

The impressive list is part of more than $4.5 million in assets seized
from 32 people arrested and charged this week -- the culmination of an
18-month police probe targeting organized crime and motorcycle gangs
involved in Quebec's drug trade. Arrest warrants have been issued for
three more people.

"Incarceration is no longer deterrent enough for some of these
people," RCMP Insp. Mike Cabana said yesterday as police forces from
across West Quebec -- including the Surete du Quebec, Gatineau police,
the RCMP, MRC des Collines and Montreal-area forces -- celebrated
their sting, dubbed Operation Hurricane.

"Now you can impact people through the proceeds-of-crime section (and)
it can become more of a deterrent," said Insp. Cabana. "The mandate of
the section is to eliminate the incentive to commit criminal activity
and we've been going at it for more than a decade. In that respect,
this operation was quite successful."

More than 300 police officers fanned out along the Outaouais-Montreal
corridor to execute more than 30 raids, aiming to break up four
separate cells of organized crime -- which trafficked in marijuana and
cocaine and had close ties to motorcycle gangs, including Hells Angels
and the Rockers.

All property and assets seized during the series of pre-dawn raids on
Wednesday will be held pending the outcome of prosecutions against the
people charged. If successful, the assets will then become property of
the Crown.

"This was a grand success," said Lieut. Benoit Charron, a Gatineau
police officer involved in the investigation.

"And in any file like this, there is always further intelligence which
is collected and may be useful to other police services, possibly in
Ottawa and with the OPP.

"Operations like this sometimes take three and four years to put
together. This one was completed satisfactorily within an 18-month
period. That is excellent work and an indication of the collaboration
between the different police agencies."

The arrested included a criminal defence lawyer from Montreal, Benoit
Cliche, who on Monday represented Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom)
Boucher in a Montreal court.

Mr. Cliche appeared briefly by video remand and is expected to spend
several days in custody before a bail hearing.

Also arrested was businessman Pierre Larose, who owns the $2.7-million
mansion in Lac-Simon, about 100 kilometres northeast of Gatineau. His
property will be held by the court, meaning he can continue to live in
the home, but can't further finance the property or divest himself of
it until his case concludes.

Lieut Charron said Mr. Cliche wasn't part of the case when the
investigation began in June 2002. But, he said, evidence was found
during the course of the investigation which led police to believe Mr.
Cliche was participating in organized crime.

"Overall, we believe we were able to destabilize part of the
trafficking network in the Outaouais."