Less than a year after their arrest, major GHB traffickers caught during a historic police strike quickly pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from five to seven years in prison, depending on their role in this network linked to Hells Angels.
“These are significant sentences. It’s a quick plea, in a case of this content… it’s rare,” commented Mr.e Steve Baribeau, Crown prosecutor, as he leaves the Saint-Jérôme courthouse last Friday.
In the afternoon, Sébastien Turcotte, 44 years old, Éric Matte, 42 years old, and Jean-Philippe Robitaille, 45 years old, were respectively sentenced to 7, 6 and 5 years of imprisonment, following joint suggestions from the parties in the case. .
Sébastien Turcotte
Photo taken from Sébastien Turcotte’s Facebook page
After their arrest last February, the trio faced a slew of accusations of participating in a network of large-scale production and trafficking of GHB, nicknamed the date rape drug, in greater Montreal.
They would have acted mainly in Delson, Longueuil and Terrebonne.
Big seizure
According to our sources, these suspects would have had links with the Hells Angels.
Notably, the search which led to their loss had been described as “the largest seizure of GHB in the history of Quebec” by a specialist in the matter.
Éric Matte during his arrest at his residence on rue du Florilège, in Terrebonne. MAXIME DELAND/AGENCE QMI
Photo Agence QMI, Maxime Deland
However, they still admitted to having participated in this type of activity over a period of four months, between December 2021 and April 2022, according to the statement of facts.
During this period, they produced an astronomical quantity of single doses of GHB, several tens of millions, we can read.
The laboratory was located at Turcotte, the head of the group, on rue du Florilège, in Terrebonne. And it was, among others, his brother-in-law, Robitaille, who obtained the products necessary to make the drug.
Jean-Philippe Robitaille
Photo taken from Mélanie Turcotte’s Facebook page
Money confiscated
In this case, a sum of more than $340,000 was also confiscated by the Attorney General of Quebec.
After being held in detention since February, the accused recently decided to settle their case. Two full days of “facilitation” debates were necessary to arrive at the determination of the sentences.
Released, the three traffickers must return behind bars to serve their sentences next January.
They had no criminal history.