Fortifications and armed guards | How the Hells prepare for battle

Henchmen standing guard behind thick concrete fortifications, bulletproof windows, cameras everywhere: the Hells Angels in the Quebec region have strengthened their defenses to face the revolt of gangs and independent traffickers , reveal photographs obtained by The Press. A foray into the heart of the preparations.

On Tuesday, the Sûreté du Québec took control of a property in Frampton, in Beauce, where the hideouts of the Hells Angels of the “Quebec City” section are located as well as their school club, the Red Devils.

The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) had convinced a judge to issue a “blocking order” and issue an eviction order for this address, because there was reason to believe that the property is linked to various criminal activities, including armed clashes against rival groups.

The Press obtained the report filed in court by an investigator from the Sûreté du Québec regarding the numerous attacks that the place was the target of, and its gradual transformation into a fortress over the course of last summer.

The big club and the school club

The investigator explains that the “Quebec City” section of the Hells has 16 members in good standing, who traditionally control the drug sales territories bordering Quebec City as well as the Côte-Nord, Beauce, Portneuf and Bas-Saint -Laurent. Without necessarily getting involved in selling drugs directly, bikers impose a tax on all dealers in their territories.

“Violence and intimidation are used to maintain control and expand their activities. This violence can go as far as murder,” the report specifies.

For some time, the Quebec Hells have been involved in a war against gangs and independent traffickers who refuse the domination of criminal bikers. One of the leaders of the revolt is Dave Turmel, leader of the Blood Family Mafia gang and one of the ten most wanted criminals in Quebec.

In October 2023, according to documents filed in court, a member of the Red Devils who stood guard at Frampton’s property told police that he was there to protect the hideout and that “everyone [était] nervous due to the conflict with Dave Turmel, aka the Woodpecker.

Numerous attacks

On December 21, Sûreté du Québec officers went to Frampton’s property because it had been the target of gunfire. They found several freshly fired shell casings, but also many shell casings that dated from previous events, the report reveals. They thus understood that other attacks had taken place.

On May 5, 2024, police were called again by a member of the Red Devils who was inside the property and who had been shot four times during an attack. In a nearby wood, officers found 3 cans of gasoline and 18 shell casings visibly fired by attackers.

Then, on September 16, the place was attacked by several attackers armed with weapons of war, according to the police. A 14-year-old boy, suspected of being linked to a Montreal street gang, died at the scene.

Firearms and crossbows

The police noticed that weapons were kept on site by the bikers to defend their stronghold. On May 5, while assisting the motorcyclist who had been shot, they found a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, a Specter semi-automatic rifle and an illegal high-capacity magazine on the floor.

In October 2023, during a search of the Red Devils’ den, police removed a poster of Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the wall. Behind it, they discovered a hole that housed a shotgun and a Winchester rifle, as well as ammunition.

Elsewhere on the property, they found two crossbows, other ammunition, a stun gun and an air pistol capable of inflicting serious injury.

Fortifications

On several occasions, the police noted the presence of protection systems on the property.

The place was peppered with surveillance cameras, even in the mailbox. Inside, occupants could follow any movement around the property in real time through three televisions.

Windows and doors were reinforced with metal frames to block out potential intruders.

But during last summer, the Sûreté du Québec said it noticed the presence of a wall made up of large concrete blocks stacked in front of one of the buildings.

“Concrete blocks were added in front of the front porch of the house. Bulletproof windows in the rear gallery are also visible. These fortifications were not present during the search on October 4, 2023 nor during the execution of a general warrant on May 5, 2024,” the report notes.

24 hour monitoring

The police noticed that bikers were standing guard 24 hours a day. A calendar posted on the wall separated each day into two 12-hour shifts. The “watch”, or surveillance, was provided by members of the Hells Angels or the Red Devils.

Last May, during the anniversary of the “Quebec City” section of the Hells, several other groups of supporters came to reinforce the guard, notably members of the Street Crow of Rivière-du-Loup, the Dark Souls club and the frequentation of the Sherbrooke section of the Hells, according to the documents.

“Several individuals who were on watch wore bulletproof jackets,” mentions an investigator.