Paul Bryntwick
West End Gang
    Paul Bryntwick, born  in the 1950s, and  a  reputed senior  member of the West End Gang, has earned a reputation  as  one  of  the nation's best bypassers of security systems. 

     On  June 19, 1977, Bryntwick, and  fellow reputed West End Gang members  Fred  Griffith, Edward  Alvarez,  and  Kenneth  Fisher  were arrested while on  a "dry run" for  a  planned  robbery  of  the  Alliance Sécurité firm on St. Laurent Blvd.

     The four men were found  attempting  to  neutralize  the company's  alarm system for  a  robbery  that would have taken place the following weekend, police suspect.

     They  were  arraigned  in  court  the  next day, charged  with breaking  into the  Alliance Sécurité building, conspiracy, and  possession of weapons  and  burglary tools. Bryntwick would be convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

     On January 17, 1982, while out on  parole, Bryntwick, Fisher, and  Alvarez  were  again  arrested, this time while robbing  a Sainte-Catherine  jewellery store. They  were  caught   by  police  after  the owner of the store, an 80 year old man, came across them when he arrived to feed his pigeons.

     Bryntwick pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Fisher also got five years, with a $15,000 fine, while Alvarez was sentenced to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

     In mid-December, 1989, Bryntwick, and Talbot Murphy and  Ronald McCann, both reputed West End Gang members, hopped in  a  car  and  headed  for Boston. Little did they know, they were being tailed by Montreal police, who alerted the FBI after the Canadians crossed the U.S. border.

     The FBI watched  as the  three  Canadians, along  with  Americans James J. McCormack, John J. Murray, and  Benjamin Wosch, arrived  at  a Cambridge, Massachusetts shopping  mall on  December 23. The group entered an office above the Coolidge Bank for Savings.

     Seventy-five FBI agents surrounded the bank. The men were arrested  as they attempted to punch a hole into floor with a 300-pound drill to enter the bank below.

     The suspects had in their possession  walkie-talkies, radio scanners, and "burning bars" - rods that cut through metal.

     Bryntwick and McCann were  already scheduled to stand trial on January 12, 1990, on charges of breaking and entering a Montreal furrier business.

     After more than  a decade out of  the  public eye, Bryntwick  again  made  headlines in November, 2002, when he, Charles "Toby" Dillon, another reputed veteran of  the Irish mob, and  David Stachula were charged with attempting to rob an Ontario armoured truck.

     Police said they had been watching the group  and knew of their plan. They warned the  armoured truck company  and  looked on  as the trio  allegedly broke into the bank, and waited for the guards to arrive with the money delivery.

     The three  men were  placed  under  arrest. Police seized  radio scanners, night-vision  binoculars, fake beards, as well as numerous weapons, including an AK-47, a pistol-grip shotgun, a .44 magnum, a stun gun, and silencers.

     Authorities say they started  paying  attention  after robbers took in over $220,000 in a November, 2001 heist.

     Police  allege the group has been behind eight  recent  robberies, where  a total of $1.5 million was stolen.

     In April, 2003, Bryntwick pleaded guilty to  four counts of  breaking-and-entry with the  intent  to commit an indictable offence and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

     Bryntwick  and  associate George Turner had allegedly stole $200,000 in cash  and $30,000 worth of deposits from a bank machine. one machine during a two-day blitz.