| Founded | 1950s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Years active | 1950s–present |
| Territory | Greater Montreal |
| Ethnicity | Predominantly Irish Canadian and French Canadian |
| Membership (est.) | 125–150 members and associates[1] |
| Leader(s) | Frank Ryan Allan Ross Gerald Matticks |
| Activities | Drug trafficking, contract killing, extortion, racketeering, illegal gambling, gun-running, prostitution, and money laundering |
| Allies | Cali Cartel[2] Cotroni crime family Hells Angels MC[3] Irish Republican Army Rizzuto crime family[3] Rock Machine MC[4] |
| Notable members | Raymond Desfossés |
The West End Gang (French: Gang de l'ouest) is a Canadian organized crime group in Montreal, Quebec. An Irish mob group originating from the Irish-Canadian ethnic enclave of Pointe-Saint-Charles in the 1950s, the majority of the gang's earnings were initially derived from truck hijackings, home invasions, kidnapping, protection rackets, extortion, and armed robbery, with its criminal activities focused on, but not restricted to, the west side of Montreal. The West End Gang came to prominence via a series of high-profile bank robberies between the 1950s and the 1970s, a period when Montreal was known as "Bank Robbery capital of North America". Due to the gang's control of illegal activity at the Port of Montreal, it moved into drug trafficking and became one of the most influential criminal organizations in Canada.[5]
Over the years many members have been murdered or convicted of murder, most notably the 1984 assassination of one time West End Gang boss Frank "Dunie" Ryan.[6] Subsequent revenge killings weeks later are believed to have been organized by replacement leader Allan "The Weasel" Ross.[6] Under Ross' leadership, the West End Gang formed a partnership with the Cali Cartel, transporting large quantitites of cocaine into Canada from the United States.[2] After Ross was convicted in 1992, leadership of the West End Gang was assumed by Gerald "Big Gerry" Matticks.[7]
- ^ West End Gang oocities.org Archived 8 December 2022 at archive.today
- ^ a b Irish Mafia Don “The Weasel” Dead At 74, Montreal Drug Lord Dies In U.S. Prison System Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (September 2, 2018) Archived April 13, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Gangs of Montreal Episode 2: Kings of coke Monique Beaudin, Montreal Gazette (11 November 2019) Archived 12 December 2022 at archive.today
- ^ Gerald Gallant: Confessions of Canada's most prolific hit man Felix Seguin and Eric Thibault, Toronto Sun (7 November 2014) Archived 11 December 2022 at archive.today
- ^ Kings of Coke tells the tale of Montreal's infamous West End Gang Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette (8 November 2022) Archived 8 November 2022 at archive.today
- ^ a b Irish Mob Boss Matticks Loses Battle With Cancer In Canada Scott Burnstein, GangsterReport.com (20 January 2015) Archived 9 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Edwards, Peter; Auger, Michel (2012). The Encyclopedia of Canadian Organized Crime: From Captain Kidd to Mom Boucher. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. p. 137. ISBN 9780771030499.