Raymond Boulanger case | “I will never go back there, rather die”

Arrested in 1992 during a seizure of 4000 kilos of cocaine, Christian Deschênes swore to abandon the crime and obtained his full parole.

A major player in the failed importation of 4,000 kilograms of cocaine by pilot Raymond Boulanger to Casey in 1992 finally gets his full parole, after serving more than two-thirds of a total sentence of 45 years.

Christian Deschênes, 66, was in charge of the Mafia goons who had to wait for Boulanger and his cocaine-filled Convair 580 at the end of Casey’s runway, north of La Tuque, Haute-Mauricie, on the morning of November 18 1992.

However, because Boulanger, spotted by American radars as soon as he took off from northern Colombia, had to extend his flight to escape the authorities, the men who were to wait for him, including Christian Deschênes, believed the project aborted and left the track with their vehicles and a tank truck filled with gasoline, before the arrival of the driver.

He therefore found himself alone, at the mercy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers dispatched to the scene, who quickly apprehended him.

Told of the plane’s landing by their bosses, the Mafia goons attempted to return to the runway, but were stopped by the officers who had cordoned off the area.

Deschênes, a relative of Paolo Gervasi, Montreal mafia clan leader murdered in January 2004, was sentenced to a first federal sentence for importing 14 tons of hashish in the late 1980s, then to a second after his arrest for the failed importation of Casey.

In the early 2000s, while on parole, he plotted to have a member of the Rizzuto clan kidnapped and was convicted again, which explains the total sentence of 45 years which was due to end in 2034.

Hang glider with pierced canvas

Deschênes had been in a halfway house since 2021, but his parole had been suspended and then reinstated after a lack of transparency on his part.

His statutory release, at two-thirds of his sentence, was due in three weeks, but he insisted on addressing the commissioners last Friday to “earn” his full parole.

“Couldn’t full parole put you at risk of returning to the criminal world? asked a commissioner.

“For me, this is not a solution. I asked myself the question and I made assumptions; I will never go back there. It’s a lifestyle choice. I’d rather die,” he replied.

“I have been absent from the scene for more than 20 years. The criminal scene, I watch it quickly, with the news, the newspapers, and I don’t see any interest in it. There is no profit for my life, including monetary. The environment has changed so much that it becomes a danger for me. I’d rather go hang-gliding with a pierced canvas than go back there,” he added.

Deschênes, who works in the construction industry, said he had been contacted by an individual linked to the criminal world and had been very clear with him: it was no.

Back home full time, Christian Deschênes wants to take care of his loved ones and keep a job, even “not very difficult”.

“Just to keep my apartment and my old bazou. I will be 67 years old. How many healthy years do I have left? Five years ? Ten years ? I do not know. I want to take advantage of what I have left in my life,” explained Christian Deschênes.

The commissioners took the case under advisement, but the positive response came on Monday.

“You seem to have hung up your criminal apron. You seem saturated with criminal life and especially with incarceration, which has undoubtedly had a significant impact on you. You are aging and although you admit to still knowing the main actors of the criminal world today, it appears that you have decided to take advantage of the years you have left to live in the community and not behind bars”, write in particular the commissioners in their decision.

Baker wishes him good luck

Deschênes must, however, meet certain conditions: not to associate with anyone with a criminal record, or who is involved in criminal activities or a criminal organization, to disclose all financial transactions, not to have more than one cell phone and a SIM card, and hand over the register of all his communications.

Raymond Boulanger has long resented Christian Deschênes, whom he held responsible for his arrest in Casey in November 1992.

Joined by The Pressthe pilot reacted well to the release of Deschênes, “who paid for his time”, and wished him good luck.

To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.