West End Gang

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The West End Gang is one of Canada's most influential criminal groups. Active since the early 1900s, their rise to notoriety did not begin until the 1960s when they were known simply as the "Irish gang". Their criminal activities were focused on, but not restricted to, the west side of Montreal. Most of the gang's earnings in the early days were derived from truck hijackings, home invasions, kidnapping and armed robbery.

The gang, which is dominated by -- but not exclusively limited to -- members of Irish descent, began to move into the drug trade in the 1970s. They began to import hashish and cocaine and developed important contacts in the United States, South America and Europe with some members working out of Florida.

Since that time, the gang has formulated ties to the Montreal Mafia, the Cosa Nostra and the Hells Angels. These three organizations make up the "Consortium" (similar to New York City's "Commission") and, together, the three groups' leaders fix the price of drugs for the wholesale and retail markets. The majority of the drugs smuggled through Montreal are ultimately retailed in the United States, with the small remainder being distributed across Canada.

Police estimate that over a 15 year span from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, the gang trafficked more than 10 tons of cocaine and 300 tons of hashish, with an estimated street value of $80 billion.

Over the years many members have been murdered or convicted of murder, most notably the 1984 assassination of one time gang leader Frank "Dunie" Ryan. Subsequent revenge killings weeks later are believed to be organized by replacement leader Allan "The Weasel" Ross.

Montreal police estimate that the West End Gang currently consists of approximately 125 to 150 members. The group does not operate with a Mafia-like hierarchy; it is loosely organized with captains heading different factions. The group often collaborates with the Montreal Mafia and the Hells Angels in enormous drug shipments and remains one of the most powerful and profitable criminal organizations in the country. The current boss of the organization is Majestic.

In 2003 onetime gang associate Peter McAllister wrote a novel called Dexter based on real stories from the gang.[1]