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| William "Billy" McAllister |
| William McAllister, born in the early 1940s, has become one of Montreal’s most famous underworld figures. Police have linked him, along with two brothers, as being associated with the notorious West End Gang.
In his younger years, McAllister dabbled in armed robberies. In 1966, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a Boston bank robbery. Less than a year after his release from prison, McAllister was at it again. On September 12, 1973, a Brink’s armoured truck arrived at the back of the Bank of Montreal in St. Laurent to perform a cash transfer. Suddenly, a red van arrived at high speed and slammed into the front of the armoured truck. |
Two hooded men emerged from the van and allegedly opened fire on the guards. Guard Claude Vienneau was shot in the face and died at the scene, while guard Robert Brunette was struck twice in one leg. The robbers then packed about ten money bags into a stolen car that had been positioned in the parking lot earlier that day. As the masked men finished loading the sacks into the car, driven by an accomplice, a third guard emerged from the bank. The trio jumped into their car and sped off, as the guard opened fire. The bandits made away with $250,000 in cash, silver, and cheques. About ten minutes later, detectives spotted a severely-damaged car in the parking lot of Sacre-Coeur Hospital. They arrested William McAllister, who standing near the vehicle. Inside the car, police found a firearm. Police later found three hoods and several money bags in a garbage can on Decarie Boulevard. In December 1974, McAllister was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder and armed robbery. The judge was quoted as saying that “greed was the only motive and McAllister was guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.” No one else has been arrested in connection to the robbery. McAllister was paroled in the early 80s. McAllister was arrested again in November 1986. He and seven others allegedly conspired to smuggle a large amount of 100 kilograms of cocaine into Canada from South America. Police seized $500,000 U.S., a kilogram of cocaine, and a whole arsenal of firearms, including a sub-machine gun, high-powered rifles, and two grenades. McAllister was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was paroled in 1992. He didn’t enjoy his freedom for long however. In March, 1993, McAllister was arrested at his Mont Tremblant chalet on Florida charges that he conspired to import as much as 10,000 kilograms of cocaine into Canada. Associates Paul Larue and Ashley Castaneda were also arersted, as well as Rock Machine leader Salvatore Cazzetta and his right-hand man Nelson Fernandes. The bust was a result of a nine-month undercover operation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the RCMP, and Montreal Urban Community Police. DEA agent John Burns, posed as a major cocaine supplier, was introduced to Paul Larue, who was looking for a steady stock of the drug. The two met in Montreal and discussed drug shipments. Burns agreed to send 4,000 to 5,000 kilos of cocaine to Montreal. Larue supposedly told Burns that his partner was William McAllister. McAllister and Larue then met Burns at Dorval airport to discuss the shipment. McAllister allegedly proposed that the first 1,000 kilograms of cocaine be smuggled into Montreal through a trucker who regularly did business shipping stock between the U.S. and Canada. McAllister added that motorcycle gangs, including the Hells Angels, would distribute the drug, according to the undercover agent. A courier was sent down to Florida to pay Burns $200,000 as partial payment. A few months later, an additional $500,000 was delivered to the undercover agent. Associate Ashley Castaneda was reportedly sent to Florida to test the quality of the cocaine. While at the Parthenais detention centre awaiting extradition to the United States, McAllister granted a telephone interview to the Montreal Gazette, in which he criticized the paper for writing that McAllister believed that reputed West End Gang chieftain Allan “The Weasel” Ross, had set him up in exchange for leniency in his own legal troubles. McAllister set the record straight. “That’s a total crock and a total falsehood and you shouldn’t write things like that,” he was quoted as saying. “I know that Allan Ross would never, ever do such a thing." He also reportedly warned journalists to be careful about what they write: “When you write articles like that, I’m serious when I tell you, it’s for your good that I tell you this – there could be reprisals for yourself.” He then clarified that he was not threatening the journalists. “I’m sure I’m [not] in a hell of a position to threaten you,” he reportedly responded with a laugh. McAllister was ordered extradited to the United States in June, 1993. He was escorted to Jacksonville, Florida the following year. In April, 1995, more than two years after his arrest, McAllister was convicted of conspiracy to export cocaine from the U.S. to Canada. He was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison. In 2002, after seven years in a U.S. prison, McAllister was brought back to Canada. He is currently in a penitentiary in Quebec. |