Pubdate: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2006 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: Brenda Branswell, The Gazette Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?188 (Outlaw Bikers) LAWYER, EX-BIKER ARRESTED IN MAJOR COCAINE BUST Police Say Mafia Has Ties To Drug Ring That Served Laurentians, Lanaudiere Areas A former motorcycle-gang member and a Montreal criminal lawyer are among 23 people facing charges after police busted what they say is a major cocaine trafficking operation. About 150 Surete du Quebec officers were involved in the bust, which began with nine arrests Monday night, followed by others yesterday. Of the five suspects still being sought, three are outside the country, crown prosecutor Madeleine Giauque said yesterday. Dubbed Project Piranha, the two-year investigation targeted high-level drug traffickers, members of a network that police allege has ties to traditional organized crime and the Mafia. Police say Louis-Alain Dauphin and Michael Russell were prominent figures in the operation. Dauphin, 53, was arrested Monday at his Mirabel home. The RCMP arrested Russell, 60, yesterday in Vancouver. Several of the suspects appeared in court in Montreal yesterday. They included Salvatore Brunetti, who had switched sides during the biker wars. In 2000, Brunetti defected to the elite Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels. He was sentenced in 2002 to three years in prison for gangsterism and drug trafficking. Much of the attention at the courthouse focused on another accused: Louis Pasquin, a veteran criminal lawyer who was a defence lawyer at a Hells Angels megatrial in 2002. Chantale Gariepy, the lawyer representing Pasquin, staunchly defended him to reporters. "He has always worked at his profession with dignity and loyalty," Gariepy said. "He has done nothing wrong. We believe the legal proceedings will show that." Pasquin obtained bail but most of the other suspects were detained. They face charges of gangsterism and trafficking. The ring is alleged to have operated in the Lower Laurentians and Lanaudiere as well as other areas of the province. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek