| Donald Matticks |
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| Donald Matticks, son of reputed West End Gang kingpin Gerald Matticks, was born on October 10, 1963. The father of four worked for more than a decade as a checker of containers at the Port of Montreal, which police say has been controlled by the West End Gang for decades.
Matticks was among 14 people arrested in December 2002 during a massive crackdown on the West End Gang’s activities at the port. Also among those arrested were Donald Driver and John McLean, the latter of which would later reportedly become an informant. The group was accused of importing $2.1 billion worth of drugs - 265 kilograms of cocaine and 32 tonnes of hashish - through the port between 1999 and 2001. |
It was alleged once the drug shipments arrived at the port, Donald Matticks recovered them and made sure the merchandise was transported off the waterfront. The drug was then distributed to local crime groups, including the Hells Angels. Matticks was released on bail after agreeing to stingent conditions and depositing $100,000 in cash. His mother promised to pay an additional $200,000 as a guarantee that he would show up for court. The Montreal Port Authority played down the bust and assured the public that security at the port was "second to none". A Senate report showed that 15 per cent of checkers and 36 per cent of the port’s 1,000 stevedores had criminal records. In October 2004, Matticks pleaded guilty to 14 charges of importing seven shipments of illegal drugs. The judge gave him permission to leave the country for a vacation with his family before his sentencing hearing several months later. Matticks was sentenced to eight years in prison on January 18, 2005. Donald Driver also received an eight year sentence, while Normand Beauregard, responsible for transportation of the drugs, was sentenced to 40 months in prison. The guilty pleas averted a lengthy trial and possible testimony from former West End Gang members Luis Elias Lekkas and John McLean. |