West End Gang

Origins and Early Criminal Enterprise

The West End Gang originated in the 1950s as a loose network of Irish-Canadian criminals from Montreal's Pointe-Saint-Charles district. It also drew members from Goose Village and Griffintown. Initially known as the Irish Gang, it adopted the West End Gang name in the late 1970s. The gang's early activities included truck hijackings, home invasions, kidnapping, protection rackets, and armed robbery, focused on the west side of Montreal. Journalist Julian Sher described the gang as an "English-Montreal product" that thrived in a specific urban context. He noted the gang's members were a "doubly marginalized" community, being an English minority in a French city and often poor within the anglophone community, which allowed them a degree of obscurity. Bars and motels in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce district, such as the Nittolo's Jardin Motel later owned by Frank Ryan, served as headquarters and meeting places. The gang's initial earnings were largely derived from these local rackets rather than drug trafficking.

Era of the Bank Robbery Capital

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Montreal was known as the "Bank Robbery capital of North America," and the West End Gang was at the forefront. In the first six months of 1969, Montreal saw 51 bank robberies with only a quarter of thieves arrested, compared to 36 robberies in Los Angeles with a 60% arrest rate. The gang benefited from lighter sentences in Quebec courts, where convicted thieves often received only five years versus 20 in the United States. The gang's members included skilled safecrackers like William "Billy" Morgan, who claimed he was a thief by age seven and could open any lock or crack any safe. Their operations were often violent, involving figures like hitman Richard Blass, who in the 1960s issued death threats to Mafia figures including Frank Cotroni and brothers Joe and Vincenzo Di Maulo. Notable robberies and violent incidents from this period include the attempted robbery of a Bank of Montreal branch on Beaver Hall Hill on 3 May 1971. This led to a shoot-out where West End Gang member Raymond Lynch was shot dead by bank security guards, and an innocent bystander named Corrado Festa was killed. On 12 September 1973, a group led by William "Billy" MacAllister attempted to rob a Brinks armored car, leading to a shoot-out where Brinks guard Claude Vienneau was shot and bled to death. The robbers fled with $278,000. The most successful robbery was the theft of about $2,275,884 in cash and golden Olympic coins worth $5,000 from a Brinks armored car on 30 March 1976.

• May 4, 1958: The largest inflation-adjusted bank robbery in Canadian history, a joint operation with the Cotroni family stealing approximately $20,000 from the Brockville Trust & Saving Company in Brockville.
• May 3, 1971: An attempted robbery of a Bank of Montreal branch on Beaver Hall Hill led to a shootout, killing West End Gang member Raymond Lynch and innocent bystander Corrado Festa.
• September 12, 1973: A Brinks armored car robbery led by William "Billy" MacAllister resulted in guard Claude Vienneau being shot and killed. Robbers fled with $278,000.
• March 30, 1976: The gang's most lucrative single score, the theft of $2,275,884 in cash and $5,000 in gold Olympic coins from a Brinks armored car.

The subsequent police investigation into the 1976 heist was dubbed the "Rubber Duck Squad" and led by detective André Savard. On 14 May 1976, a West End Gang member involved in the Brinks robbery, John Slawvey, was killed in a shoot-out with Savard who was attempting to arrest him on charges of robbery. On the night after Slawvey's killing, Savard was phoned by lawyer Sidney Leithman who warned him to be careful. Savard heard rumours that West End Gang leader Frank Ryan had placed a $50,000 contract on his life, which caused him to live under armed guard. Commander André Bouchard of the Montreal police stated about the West End Gang that they were not thugs selling drugs on the street but had the best safecrackers and the best hijackers, some of whom were sixteen years old and still active later in life.

Transition to International Drug Trafficking

Under the leadership of Frank Ryan in the 1970s, the West End Gang moved into large-scale drug smuggling, leveraging its control over the Port of Montreal. The gang initially imported significant quantities of marijuana and hashish before moving into the more lucrative cocaine trade in the early 1980s. In 1980, Allan Ross was convicted of possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking and sentenced to a 23-month prison term. The gang formed a powerful alliance known as the "Consortium" with the Montreal Mafia and the Hells Angels, collectively fixing wholesale and retail drug prices for the market, similar to New York City's Commission. Their international network expanded to include the Cali Cartel, with cocaine shipments routed through the United States from Florida. Ross also formed contacts in the "Golden Triangle" in Southeast Asia and in the "Golden Crescent" nations of Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan. According to informants, by 1986, cocaine shipments of between 20 and 40 kilograms were being delivered to Montreal every two weeks. By 1987, Ross's deals with the Cali Cartel included shipments of up to 200 kilograms being sent to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Police estimates indicate that over a 15-year span from the late 1970s to early 1990s, the gang trafficked over 40 tons of cocaine and 300 tons of hashish, with an estimated street value of $150 billion. The majority of drugs smuggled through Montreal were ultimately retailed in the United States, with a small remainder distributed across Canada. The disbanding of the National Ports Police in 1997 as a cost-saving measure greatly aided the gang's port operations, removing a key layer of security.

Violent Internal Conflicts and Murders

The gang's history is marked by internal betrayals and brutal revenge killings. In 1981, Frank Ryan contracted Hells Angels hitman Yves "Apache" Trudeau to kill cocaine dealer Patrick "Hughie" McGurnaghan over a $100,000 debt. The bomb detonated under the hood of McGurnaghan's Mercedes-Benz on October 27 on Melville Avenue in Westmount, killing him and seriously injuring a passenger. Ryan's own reign ended on November 13, 1984, when he was lured to a motel room at his own Nittolo's Jardin Motel and shot dead by associates Paul April and Robert Lelièvre, who sought to erase a $200,000 drug debt. Allan Ross took control of the West End Gang after Ryan's death. Ross's first action as leader was to hire Yves Trudeau to track down and kill those responsible. On November 19, 1984, Trudeau visited April's highrise apartment on De Maisonneuve Boulevard. On November 25, 1984, Trudeau and his accomplice Michel Blass delivered a television set rigged with 15 kilograms of C-4 plastic explosive to the apartment where April and Robert Lelièvre were hiding, along with Gilles Paquette and Louis Charles. Trudeau detonated the bomb remotely, killing all four and injuring eight bystanders. Ross paid for the murders by erasing a large drug debt owed by the Laval chapter of the Hells Angels. Another conspirator in Ryan's murder was Eddie Phillips. On 25 March 1985, Phillips was invited to drink with West End Gang member Billy McAllister at the Victoria Station bar on rue de Jean Talon in Mount Royal. As Phillips walked towards the bar, a motorcycle rode up to him and West End Gang member David Singer shot him five times in the back. Singer subsequently went into hiding in Florida, but Ross ordered his murder over fears he could not handle police interrogation.

Leadership, Prosecutions, and the "Kings of Coke"

The gang's leadership has seen successive figures imprisoned or killed. Allan Ross was convicted in Gainesville, Florida, on May 15, 1992, for conspiring to import and traffic in at least 10,000 kilograms of cocaine and more than 300 tonnes of marijuana between 1975 and 1989, resulting in a life sentence. The following year, he was sentenced to an additional 30 years' imprisonment in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for conspiring to traffic in cocaine and conspiracy to commit murder. Leadership then passed to Gerald "Big Gerry" Matticks. In 1996, Operation Caviar led to the arrest of 30 West End Gang members and associates in Montreal on charges of conspiracy to import, importing, trafficking or possession of narcotics. Matticks was arrested in 2001 as part of the anti-biker Operation Springtime and sentenced to 12 years for drug trafficking. The current alleged leader, Shane "Wheels" Maloney, was imprisoned in 2017. The gang's history has been documented in media, most notably the 2022 documentary "Kings of Coke" directed by Julian Sher. The documentary explores the gang's rise from local bank robbers to major international drug traffickers and its partnerships with global cartels. Under Ross, the gang forged a partnership with a Florida-based cell of the Cali Cartel, transporting kilograms of cocaine into Canada via Nashville, Tennessee.

21st Century Activities and Major Police Operations

The West End Gang remains active in the 21st century, frequently collaborating with other criminal organizations. In 2005, a 300-kilogram shipment from a larger 1,300-kilogram cocaine consignment, co-organized by Rizzuto crime family confidante Francesco Del Balso and West End Gang member Richard Griffin, was intercepted in Boucherville, Quebec by police. After Griffin invested $1.5 million, he demanded $350,000 from the Rizzutos for not taking preventive measures and was subsequently shot dead outside his home in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on July 12, 2006. Individual members have also been involved in violent international incidents. On October 27, 2011, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Shane Maloney led an attack on an off-duty Montreal police officer who photographed officers socializing with gangsters at the Blue Parrot nightclub. The beating required five hours of surgery to reconstruct the officer's face, and no one from the club management intervened. Maloney was convicted of assault for this incident in December 2013. On 1 November 2012, Maloney was charged with trafficking in cocaine, gangsterism, and arms smuggling. Police searched his house and found evidence linking to the theft of dynamite in Sainte-Sophie in August 2011. Found inside his house were hundreds of guns, a large quantity of dynamite, two pounds of C-4 explosive and remote controls that could be used for bombs. In April 2017, Maloney was found guilty of the charges relating to his weapons and explosive cache and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Maloney worked as a member of the Wolfpack Alliance, but transferred his loyalty towards helping the Sinaloa Cartel in smuggling cocaine directly into Ontario. In 2003, onetime gang associate Peter MacAllister wrote a novel called "Dexter" based on real stories from the gang.

Structure, Alliances, and Cultural Impact

The West End Gang has often been described as a less formal, fluid network of criminal freelancers, unlike the more hierarchical Mafia or Hells Angels. This lack of rigid structure has made it harder for law enforcement to dismantle and less covered in media, partly due to its English-speaking base in a predominantly French city. The gang has maintained a folk-hero status in some neighbourhoods, with figures like Gerald Matticks remembered for charitable acts in Pointe-Saint-Charles, such as dressing as Santa Claus and helping local families, which fostered loyalty and a local code of silence. The gang's story has inspired books and multiple documentary films. Current police estimates place the gang's strength at approximately 125 to 150 members and associates. It continues to be a central player in Montreal's criminal underworld as part of the Consortium, involved in enormous drug shipments. The gang's alliances are extensive, including historical ties to the Cotroni family, ongoing collaboration with the Rizzuto crime family and Hells Angels, and international partnerships with the Cali and Sinaloa cartels. The three Montreal organizations (West End Gang, Montreal Mafia, Hells Angels) make up the "Consortium" and together fix the price of drugs for the wholesale and retail markets.

Questions about West End Gang

What is the West End Gang?

The West End Gang is a Canadian organized crime group based in Montreal, Quebec. It originated in the 1950s from the Irish-Canadian community in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Initially focused on bank robberies and local rackets like truck hijackings and extortion, it evolved into a major drug trafficking organization, controlling the Port of Montreal. The gang is known for its fluid structure and collaboration with other groups like the Hells Angels and Montreal Mafia in an alliance called the Consortium.

How is the West End Gang connected to other criminal groups?

The West End Gang is a core member of the "Consortium," an alliance with the Montreal Mafia and the Hells Angels that fixes drug prices in the market. It has international partnerships, most notably with the Cali Cartel for cocaine imports through Florida and Nashville. The gang also has historical ties to the Cotroni family and collaborates with the Rizzuto crime family. Members like Shane Maloney have worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to smuggle cocaine directly into Ontario.

Who were the leaders of the West End Gang?

The West End Gang's historical bosses were Frank 'Dunie' Ryan from the 1970s until his murder in 1984, Allan 'The Weasel' Ross from 1984 until his life imprisonment in 1992, and Gerald 'Big Gerry' Matticks from 1992 until his sentencing in 2001. The current alleged leader is Shane 'Wheels' Maloney, who has been imprisoned since 2017. Ryan oversaw the move into drug trafficking by controlling the Port of Montreal. Ross expanded operations by forming a partnership with the Cali Cartel. Matticks assumed control after Ross's conviction.

Is the West End Gang still active?

Yes, the West End Gang remains active. Montreal police estimate it currently consists of approximately 125 to 150 members and associates. The group continues to collaborate with the Montreal Mafia and the Hells Angels in enormous drug shipments as part of the Consortium. Recent police operations, such as the 1996 Operation Caviar and the 2005 interception of a 300-kilogram cocaine shipment, demonstrate ongoing law enforcement focus on the gang's activities.

What is the 'Kings of Coke' documentary?

'Kings of Coke' is a documentary film released in November 2022 that chronicles the history of the West End Gang. It was directed by journalist Julian Sher. The documentary details the gang's rise from local bank robbers to major international drug traffickers under leaders like Frank Ryan and Allan Ross. It explores how the gang, as an Irish Canadian group, thrived in Montreal's unique social scene and formed partnerships with global cartels like the Cali Cartel.

Sources and further reading

• West End Gang (Wikipedia)
• New Kings of Coke Crave docs delve into West End Gang ... (montrealgazette.com)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-25.