Eight men and one woman, all from New Brunswick, appeared in Bathurst Provincial Court Wednesday on a slew of drug trafficking charges linked to the Hells Angels in Quebec.
Police say they started investigating the trafficking of cocaine on the Acadian Peninsula and in Restigouche, Madawaska and Victoria counties in November 2016.
Police say officers seized about $900,000 in cash and approximately 5.5 kilograms of cocaine.
Investigators suspect the drugs were linked to the Hells Angels in Quebec.
Police say the accused are not members of the Hells Angels, but they believe they are linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs in New Brunswick and Quebec.
Police say the following nine individuals appeared in court Wednesday:
Marcel Friolet, 58, Allardville, N.B., Éric Degrâce, 43, Évangéline, N.B. and Danny Smith, 45, Allardville, N.B. have each been charged with:
- Commission of offence for criminal organization
- Instructing commission of offence for criminal organization
- Conspiracy to traffic in cocaine
- Trafficking in cocaine
- Conspiracy to possess cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Julie Michaud, 35, Allardville, N.B. has been charged with:
- Conspiracy to traffic in cocaine
- Trafficking in cocaine
- Conspiracy to possess cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Éric Doucet, 40, and John Watson, 55, both from Allardville, N.B. have each been charged with:
- Commission of offence for criminal organization
- Trafficking in cocaine
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Daniel Duguay, 58, Saint-Irénée-et-Alderwood, N.B. and Jason Poirier, 40, Inkerman, N.B. have each been charged with:
- Trafficking in cocaine
- Possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking
Gabriel Friolet, 65, Allardville, N.B. has been charged with:
- Laundering proceeds of crime
- Possession of the proceeds of crime
Marcel Friolet, Éric Degrâce and Danny Smith remain in custody.
All three are expected back in court May 30.
Julie Michaud, Éric Doucet, John Watson, Jason Poirier, Daniel Duguay and Gabriel Friolet have been released on conditions.
They are scheduled to appear in Bathurst Provincial court on May 28.
The investigation is ongoing.
