Health deficiencies and organized crime | The Canadian was under contract with a restaurant summoned by the Régie des alcools

Last season, the Montreal Canadiens awarded their catering contract to a restaurant that had repeatedly hosted members of organized crime in violation of health rules in 2020 and 2021.

Hugo Joncas
The Press

In June 2021, the Prima Luna of Rivière-des-Prairies received its notice of meeting from the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ). The hearing of the restaurant’s file by the RACJ is not over, as reported The Press tuesday. Reasons: violation of health rules, presence of Hells Angels and mafia within its walls and seizure of a revolver in a room in May 2021.

A few months later, the Prima Luna was preparing food for Carey Price, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and the other Glorieux employees at the Brossard training center.

According to the Canadian spokesperson, the restaurant fed the team “for a few months last season”. Over what period exactly? “This is not information that we are going to divulge,” simply replies Charles Saindon-Courtois, spokesman for the Canadian.

In the evidence filed before the Régie, the police report six gatherings at the Prima Luna between December 2020 and May 2021, despite the ban on receiving the public because of health rules.

Each time, they spotted notorious criminals there – sometimes several of them – including the Hells Angels Martin Robert and Stéphane Plouffe, as well as the mafiosos Francesco Del Balso, Marco Pizzi and their “street boss”, Davide Barberio. .

Weapon hidden inside

During the last intervention on file, on May 29, 2021, agents from the Eclipse group arrested Michel Lamontagne, a Hells Angels rookie. The police had just found a .38 caliber revolver hidden in a storage room from which it emerged.

The Crown initially charged him with possession of a weapon, but he benefited from a stay of the judicial process.

Among the guests present that evening to celebrate Lamontagne’s birthday, 13 have a heavy criminal past. Hells Angels, members of the mafia, but also Annie Arbic, daughter of drug trafficker Sharon Simon, the “Queen of Kanesatake” and wife of Hells Martin Robert.

At the end of their intervention, the agents had submitted 70 statements of violation of the health rules, including four to the owner, Andrea Dell’Orefice.

According to the police, the boss “knowingly contravenes public health decrees”.

They say they found in March 2021 a system to conceal the operation of the restaurant despite the ban in force: use of the parking lot and the back door, curtains closed…

During the May 2021 intervention, the lights were off when the police went to the reception hall, even though 35 people were there.

The agents then saw guests leave without paying without Andrea Dell’Orefice intervening.

“Officers did not see customers paying bills for their meals,” police said, saying they were “confused about billing and tax collection.”

Contract finished, says the Canadian

The hockey club says it understands the “serious allegations” about its former supplier, but assures that its business relationship with Prima Luna is over.

“We weren’t aware that they were in this situation,” said Charles Saindon-Courtois, spokesman for the Canadiens.

He says the organization has already “brought in-house” catering services for its staff. “We are no longer under contract with them. »

He declined to say how much the Canadian paid in bills to Prima Luna last season.

Contacted by The Pressthe owner of Prima Luna refused to answer our questions about his alleged violations of sanitary rules and the repeated presence of members of organized crime in his restaurant.

“They go to Costco too, they go to the Bell Center,” says Andrea Dell’Orefice, speaking of the guys he’s hosted despite COVID-19 restrictions.

He assures that he has nothing to do with them. “I have nothing to do with what’s in the newspaper. »

With the collaboration of Daniel Renaud, The Press