Gaetan Bradette, close to Steven Bertrand and the late Hells Angels warrior leader Maurice Boucher, sentenced to 45 months in prison for drug trafficking, says he regrets having dragged his sons into crime.
Bradette, 62, manager of a vehicle rental business, is considered by the police to be a major player in the sale of drugs in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal for decades.
Following the murder of a 38-year-old man, Bardia Gorji, in 2020, Major Crimes investigators, helped by their colleagues from the SPVM’s Organized Crime Division (DCO), launched a major investigation called Maculé targeting the one of Bradette’s sons, Tommy, and other individuals.
But wiretapping also led investigators to Gaetan Bradette, and his other son, Francis, who were involved in cocaine trafficking activities.
Tommy Bradette was sentenced to 16 years in the penitentiary for the manslaughter of Bardia Gorji and Francis pleaded guilty to conspiracy and drug trafficking, and will receive his sentence at a later date.
Before the parole commissioners on Tuesday, Gaetan Bradette, who requested his full parole or semi-release (in a halfway house), spoke about his family situation.
“ […] The involvement of your loved ones, particularly that of your sons, has had significant repercussions on your family, contributing to the weakening of several people, […] which have nothing to do with your criminality. Even more, you insisted on the fact that one of your sons was recently sentenced to a long prison sentence. Consequently, you consider that you have made a considerable error by involving your loved ones, which you say today is very dissuasive when you feel responsible for the situation,” write the commissioners in a 12-page decision.
A “perfect” life
While at the start of his incarceration, Gaetan Bradette described his crimes as “mistakes” and his life before his arrest as “perfection”, he subsequently made significant progress in the penitentiary say the commissioners, who agreed to send him in a halfway house, but refused to grant him full parole.
“There is no doubt that your criminality is characterized by a very structured level of organization. The structure of the organization, the modus operandi, your network of contacts with influential members of organized crime are all elements which demonstrate the strong anchoring of your delinquent values and the scope of this. The offenses which earned you the current sentence take on all of these characteristics, even though you were considered to be at the head of the criminal network for which you worked,” the commissioners further write.
They impose severe conditions on him, for the duration of his semi-release, but also in anticipation of his future release (at two-thirds of his sentence).
Thus, Bradette cannot be self-employed or operate a business, cannot associate with any person he knows is involved in criminal activities or organizations, cannot possess more than one cell phone and one SIM card. , must disclose all communications, exchanges and searches carried out with his device, must disclose all his financial transactions and must declare all relationships with a woman.
During the Maculé investigation, police intercepted more than 82,000 communications (calls and text messages), carried out 162 physical surveillances, executed 220 judicial authorizations, carried out several infiltration scenarios with double agents and seized four kilograms of cocaine and 250 000 $.
To contact Daniel Renaud, call 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.