The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada

by Julian Sher, William Marsden

In this definitive, up-to-the-minute account of the Hells Angels in Canada, two veteran journalists investigate why the recent imprisonment of feared biker leader, Maurice “Mom” Boucher, is too little, too late.

By the spring of 2002, Boucher was safely in prison but the Hells Angels had grown to 37 chapters with close to 600 members across the country. They had taken over the drug trade and continued their rapid expansion into Ontario with a recent, high-profile enlistment -- or patchover -- of 168 members from other gangs. In Winnipeg, gang warfare turned ugly as the Hells muscled out the competition and firebombed a policeman’s home. In Vancouver, they secured a stranglehold on smuggling in the all-important West Coast port.

The Road to Hell is the story of how the Hells have taken over the Canadian crime how politicians dithered while overburdened prosecutors burned out and lost major cases; how police brass squabbled while a handful of dedicated cops worked years to amass their evidence; how a few citizens stood up the bikers and paid for that bravery with their lives. Murder plots, drug deals, money laundering and assassinations are brought to life through never-before-revealed police files, wiretaps and surveillance tapes. In gripping prose, the authors tell all about Boucher’s war on the justice system; how he finally lost in Quebec, thanks in part to Danny Kane, a reluctant biker turned informer; but how across Canada the Hells have succeeded in building a national crime empire.

The RCMP and then the police in Montreal would run Danny Kane as one of the most successful -- and most secretive -- agents ever to infiltrate organized crime. Kane would climb all the way to the from a lowly hangaround to a trusted confidante of the Quebec Nomads, the elite chapter led by the top Hells Angels lieutenants of Maurice “Mom” Boucher. And through his entire six-year-career as a spy, few people -- even inside the police -- would ever know about his dangerous double life. -- from The Road to Hell

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ellis Amdur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Driving in Vancouver, I recall passing a white building with red trim, which a high fence – a regional headquarters of a chapter of the Hells Angels. It was, essentially, a castle. 1/4 of all Hells Angels are in Canada, and they are the largest organized criminal organization in the country. Not only involved in drug smuggling and prostitution, they are now a sophisticated syndicate laundering money in a number of legal enterprises. They also kill startling numbers of rivals, and have essentially laughed off law enforcement, not only murdering correctional officers, but also bombing both homes and buildings of law enforcement. Worlds away from Hunter Thompson’s book of the late sixties – the bikes are almost extraneous trappings to a constantly expanding cancer of criminals, at once sophisticated and thuggish. On the law enforcement and judicial side, a frustrating story of dedicated cops, struggling with incredible incompetence and underfunding on a provincial and national level. The law enforcement agencies have terribly failed the citizens of Canada – the book shows how the barbarians simply walked in the open gates.

[Diane Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At about page 10, I was thinking "I think I've read this."
By page 20, I knew I had read it but it's so good I read it again! About 15 years between each time as the first go-round was in my "biker phase" when I read a whole bunch of stuff about all the gangs....well.......most of the bigger groups.
This is a very well-researched and written book.
Sonny Barger and "Mom" Boucher both passed away this year and this book illustrates the rise and fall of "Mom" and some of his associates, as well as others. Sonny and the Berdoo crew are a whole different ballgame and there are volumes devoted to him/them as well.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, written in an engaging and propelling way. When you think organized crime you tend not to think of Canada, and that's just how the Hell's Angels want you to think. The picture painted by this book is one of brutality and banality, the chase for fortune and fellowship and power, and immense ineptitude (especially for law enforcement). If you're looking for a book that will inspire confidence in the Mounties or the Canadian judicial system, look elsewhere. Law enforcement comes out of this book looking like a squad of idiots, disorganized at the best of times. Individuals within the system try to combat these organized thugs but except in the rarest circumstances it all goes for naught.

The Hell's Angels come out of this looking only marginally better, at least more organized and unified. What they lack in ineptitude they make up for in brutality - killings abound, and firebombings are ever present. They are truly an organized criminal enterprise aided by greed, fear, and idiocy in law enforcement.

This was a gripping read, full of stories about murder and hidden bodies, moles in the Hell's Angels (and the cops), trials and absolutely boggling decisions by judges. Highly recommended.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. This book is an excellent detailed examination of the short comings of Canada's laws and criminal sentencing structures. Every innocent citizen is endangered by the impotence of the crimanal justice system in that country. America is not far behind. Despite the failure of the Canadian and European justice models and gun controls placed on regular people, Americans are jumping behind this soft approach to evil.

This book really tells the story of organized crime and evil which was allowed to grow in a permissive setting created by weak laws and weak incarceration policy in a Country that does not prioritize prosecution of criminals as a public safety measure.

This is a warning to the United States, as we continue to weep over "to high" incarceration rates of criminals proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and demand that innocent hard working people are disarmed and left defenseless as so many of the victims in this book were, we are moving quickly toward our own crime wave of unpunished murder, torture, corruption, and theft.

[Scott Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sher and Marsden's account of the biker warfare of the 1980s and 1990s is a solid account of the major players, ambitions and strategies that unfolded, leaving a wake of violence and death while building empires and fostering reputations. It also highlights the police tactics and informant strategies that were used to gain a few victories along the way. Nevertheless, the picture painted shows ruthless but brilliant gang leaders battling against each other and against a painfully dysfunctional law enforcement capacity.

[Nick Piers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly read for my own writing research, I found this to be a great insight into the biker gang world. Not only did I learn about its hierarchies, but also their methods, and ideals. Sher and Marsden definitely critique the Canadian justice system more than the bikers. Several times throughout the book, they take shots at the police and RCMP in their handling - or lack of handling - of the Hells Angels. It seems that because of in-house bickering, not to mention fear and just overall looking-the-other-way attitudes, the Hells Angels managed to make a strong footing in Canada.

[Jer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought non-fiction could be so action packed. I mean, the book DOES NOT STOP. Interested in organized crime? Like "Goodfellas" or "The Godfather", but want something more than Italian?

I'll be reading this one again, that's for sure.

[Sylvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informatif ... Comme je n'étais pas au Québec durant cette période, ça m'a donné une vraiment bonne vu d'ensemble des faits et ce qui est arrivé. Confirmé des faits que ma famille me racontait mais que je ne pouvais croire car je ne pouvais croire que ça arrivait chez nous.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was pretty weak. The content was also fairly redundant. What I liked about it was the connections to places where I have lived like Montreal's East End or Dutch Village Road in Halifax.

[Sean C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book if true organized crime is what you're looking for. I enjoyed it but may not be for everyone

[Jacqueline Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entranced by the the under world of bikers, thrilled to read a tell all of the history of the Canadian road to hell...