AUTHORITY OF BIKER BOSS WILL DECLINE, OFFICIALS SAY

But another Hells Angels chief will appear because of money to be made in
drug trade

Maurice (Mom) Boucher slowly will lose his power over the notorious Hells
Angels as he spends at least 25 years behind bars, police sources say, but
his incarceration does not spell the end of the gang's activities in Quebec.

"We may have won the battle by putting Boucher in prison," a senior
drug-enforcement officer said this week after Mr. Boucher was handed a life
sentence. "But we have not won the war by any stretch of the imagination."

There are at least 50 gang members on the streets, and the Hells Angels
drug-trafficking infrastructure has not been dismantled. Drug trafficking
is the mainstay of the notorious biker gang, and there are plenty of orders
to fill and lots of money to be made.

Mr. Boucher, 48, was convicted on Sunday on two counts of first-degree
murder and one of attempted murder.

The murder convictions automatically bring a life sentence with no parole
eligibility for 25 years.

Despite his confinement, Mr. Boucher is firmly at the gang's helm, and for
the short term, at least, there is little doubt he will try to exert his
authority from prison.

He faces 13 more first-degree-murder charges, six of them related to hits
that allegedly were ordered and carried out while he was in jail.

"Boucher's ego is big enough where he says, 'Maybe you've got me for life,
but I'll show you I'm not done yet,' " the police officer said. "But his
authority will fade. It's not like he got three or four years and everyone
knows he'll be back on the street in no time. He's doing life, and when
you're behind bars, you're not that much of a threat on the outside."

What remains unknown is who will move into the vacancy created by Mr.
Boucher's absence, a leadership bid that could prove fatal to anyone who
attempts it.

"There are some Hells out there who can do a good job, but no one has the
charisma of Mom Boucher," a police officer said. In the short run, the
officer added, "Boucher will be given face and respect. He'll get visitors
and his family will be well taken care of."

Yet crime experts and police who monitor biker gangs in Canada are
convinced that the jailing of Mr. Boucher means he no longer will be able
to control allegiances and alliances out on the street.

Yves Lavigne, the author of three books on the Hells Angels and a leading
authority on the gang, said that Mr. Boucher's conviction "is the best
thing that could have happened to the Hells Angels. They're relieved that
he's out of the way. He focused a lot of police attention on the gang, and
that hurt their bottom line."

An undercover Quebec drug officer agreed: "He brought too much attention
onto the Hells Angels. The killing of the guards moved them so high on the
priority list as a law-enforcement threat, and it led to a lot of them
being arrested and jailed.

"I'm sure if they sat back and rethought what they did, they had to have
come to the conclusion that it was the stupidest thing they had ever done.
It failed as an intimidation tactic," the officer said.

Unlike Mr. Boucher, who basked and swaggered in the news-media limelight,
his replacement likely will keep a very low profile, drawing less heat and
attention from authorities.

Mr. Lavigne pointed out that the gang members "are businessmen who would
rather find a peaceful way to deal with their enemies, so they could all
make a lot of money."

He added that if there is one thing the Hells Angels have shown over the
decades, it is definitely resilience. "They've learned from this
experience, and they're going to add an extra layer of insulation between
the crimes and themselves, which will make it harder for the police to make
their way up the pyramid."

Although Mr. Boucher has become less of an irritant to police, he is a
source of concern for corrections officials.

Many guards are understandably wary of the man who has been convicted of
ordering the killings of two prison guards in 1997, just to make a point.

Some guards would love to mete out a little of their own prison justice.

Moreover, the penitentiaries are filled with Hells Angels who are loyal
Boucher soldiers; an estimated 75 of Quebec's 120 Hells Angels are behind
bars awaiting trials or convicted.

Then there are others in prison -- members of rival biker gangs -- who have
scores to settle with Mr. Boucher and are champing at the bit for an
opportunity to get even. And his safety will remain a matter of concern,
even as his power wanes.

Mr. Lavigne joked, "It's hockey season in Canada right now, and you could
liken Boucher to a hockey player in the penalty box. He can rant and rave
all he wants, but he's off the ice and out of the game."

Except in this case, he's out of the game for good.