A former pillar of the Hells Angels arrested during the Spring 2001 operation will again have to defend himself in court, this time for entering the country with too much undeclared cash.
“He failed to declare to a customs officer the importation of cash of a value equal to or greater than the regulatory amount,” reads the denunciation concerning Richard Mayrand.
Mayrand, 58, is a former member of the Hells Angels’ elite Nomads section. He was so influential that he had already led the group in the absence of the late Maurice “Mom” Boucher. “Dick” Mayrand was thus involved in the biker war, which had killed more than 150 people in Quebec in six years, until December 2000.
Arrested in 2001 during a major raid against the criminal group, he received a long sentence of 16 years in prison. He left the Hells Angels in 2009.
Since its release in 2015, however, Mayrand has led a quiet life, according to what The newspaper.
However, last February, when he returned to the country, he reportedly filled out his traveler declaration incorrectly. Under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, anyone arriving in Canada must declare to the authorities if they have more than $10,000 in cash on them.
This law, introduced in 2000, aims to combat money laundering.
However, Mayrand would have gone through customs with more than $10,000, without declaring it, which led to him being charged following verifications by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
He was released, however, and it took nearly six months for a charge to be filed.
Mayrand will have to appear in court in September to announce whether he pleads guilty or not. He risks a fine or, at worst, a short incarceration.