| Paul Magnan |
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| Paul Magnan was born around 1963, and reportedly became a member of the Jokers, a motorcycle gang based in Saint-Jean-de-Richelieu, on the south shore of Montreal, around 1994, according a La Presse article. About 60 Surete du Quebec officers participated in a series of raids on the morning of November 24, 1993, arrested nine men and one woman. During their searches, police seized seven weapons, a small quantity of drugs, and $53,000 in cash. Magnan was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. On January 25, 1995, Magnan was sentenced to two months in prison for possession of an illegal firearm. |
| Magnan was again arrested a few months later, around 1:40 a.m. on March 29, after the 1985 Oldsmobile he was driving was pulled over by police. According to information from a La Presse article, SQ officers reportedly smelled alcohol in the vehicle and when they asked Magnan to exit the car, he allegedly refused. Magnan eventually exited the car, but reportedly pushed one of the officers. Police arrested him and seized a firearm that they allege Magnan had tucked in his belt. As he was being arrested, police claim that Magnan threatened them. Members of the Jokers and rival Rock Machine reportedly participated in a brawl in one of the Montreal courthouse’s cafeterias on December 7, 1995. Magnan and fellow Joker Luc Gauthier were arrested, as well as Johnny Plescio, and brothers Peter and Robert Paradis, all linked to the Rock Machine. By all indications, Magnan became a full-patch member of the Hells Trois-Rivieres Chapter at some point in the late 1990s. On November 6, 2002, 350 police officers participated in an operation, called Project Osmose, targeting the Jokers and the Hells Trois-Rivieres Chapter. Arrest warrants were released for over 40 people, including Magnan, two other Hells Angels, and the entire Jokers membership. Magnan was reportedly arrested at a Quebec City hospital, where he was recovering from an accident. Authorities allege the Jokers distributed two kilograms of cocaine a week, bringing in a total of $800,000. Police seized three kilos of cocaine, 170 marijuana plants, ecstasy, and magic mushrooms, as well as $20,000 in cash, 14 vehicles, and several weapons. On February 26, 2003, Magnan, Hells Angel Marc-André Hotte, and Jokers Danny Couillard and Gaétan Cousineau pled guilty to charges of gangsterism and drug trafficking. Magnan was sentenced to four years in prison, Hotte had eight months added to a sentence of 42 months he was already serving, while Couillard and Cousineau received four and six years, respectively. |