With the flash of every camera, Maurice “Mama” Bouchet seemed to thrive and was not one to shy away from fame.
Boucher died of throat cancer in prison on Sunday at the age of 69, according to Corrections Canada.
“It’s like Al Capone or John Gotti dying,” said Julien Cher, an investigative journalist and author of two books on the Hell’s Angels. “Mama Boucher was a kingpin, one of the most notorious leaders of organized crime.”
As the boss of the Hells Angels biker gang in the 1990s, Boucher sowed fear and terror in Montreal.
2:21 Maurice ‘Mama’ Boucher: A look back at the life of a former Hells Angels crime boss Maurice ‘Mama’ Boucher: A look back at the life of a former Hells Angels crime boss
It was his turf and he wanted everyone to know it, no matter the cost, experts say.
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“He ruled the streets of Montreal,” Sher explained. “He was responsible for most of the cocaine distribution, brought millions to the Hells Angels, but also unleashed a wave of terror on this city.”
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Read more: Maurice ‘Mama’ Boucher, former Hells Angels boss, dies in prison of cancer
Boucher had been battling cancer for seven years and was moved into palliative care on June 10. He just recently turned 69 on June 21st.
John Gallianos, a retired provincial police officer who worked on the Hells Angels case, said Boucher liked to intimidate.
Galianos recalled that Boucher would parade himself in front of police officers. “He was going to what we call in French ‘les énnerver’ to tease them,” Gallianos said.
In an attempt to destabilize the justice system, Boucher ordered in 1997 the assassination of two prison guards, Pierre Rondeau and Diane Lavigne, who were chosen at random.
There was an attempt on a third warden.
Boucher was arrested and charged but not convicted.
“When they acquitted him the first time, people applauded,” Gallianos said.
READ MORE: Maurice ‘Mama’ Boucher pleads guilty to murder conspiracy charge involving rival
Eventually, his rule began to unravel as his own began to turn against him: loyal followers turned informers, experts say.
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The untouchable king was arrested and tried again.
The second time, in 2002, he was found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of prison guards.
Guy Ouellet, a member of Quebec’s National Assembly and a retired provincial police officer, said his first thoughts when he learned of the death were for Boucher’s innocent victims.
“Collateral damage they called it. I hope it never happens again,” Ouellette said.
Boucher died while incarcerated in the palliative care unit of a correctional health facility affiliated with Archambault Federal Prison in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., where he had been serving consecutive life sentences for the past 20 years.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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