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But with the arrest last week of Vito Rizzuto, alleged godfather of the city's Mafia, Mr. Rizzuto, described in court documents as a powerful, influential mobster, is in detention awaiting his extradition hearing to the Maurice (Mom) Boucher, fearsome leader of the elite Nomads chapter of the Quebec Hells Angels, and Gerald Matticks of the West End Gang are also off the streets these days. "They were seen as untouchables and the younger generations [of criminals] were looking up to them. You had to burst the balloons . . . destroy the legends," said retired anti-biker investigator Guy Ouellette. Still, observers are cautioning that while law enforcement has scored impressive successes in recent years, organized crime will remain a major problem for authorities. By definition, crime bosses don't handle street-level drug trafficking or muscle work, so their arrests don't cut into the everyday rackets run by lower-ranking cadres. "The boss had the moral authority and he is gone, but it wasn't him who was getting his two hands dirty," Mr. Ouellette said. In Mr. Rizzuto's case, there remains a long legal battle, first dealing with the request to deport him to Until then, the organization that Mr. Rizzuto allegedly oversaw remains powerful and able to operate on its own, says organized-crime expert Antonio Nicaso, the Toronto-based author of 10 books on the mob. "They have people able to run the day-to-day activities," Mr. Nicaso said. "But of course they will lack vision, strategy in the future." Some have speculated that Mr. Rizzuto's aging father, Nick, could become the acting boss of the clan, which was once a branch of the Bonanno crime family of Mr. Nicaso, however, doubted that the father could take a large role. "In the last few years, his role was more of a respected adviser, a consigliere, not a boss." The fortunes of The Quebec Hells Angels spearheaded their club's long-awaited move into As for the Rizzuto clan, it was described as an increasingly influential crime family in the 2002 annual report of Criminal Intelligence Service Canada. "This family's influence has extended throughout "It has connections to other Sicilian clans throughout Court evidence has shown that the Mafia, the Hells Angels and the West End Gang have often worked together to import drugs and set their retail prices. Mr. Rizzuto, who has been named in various court proceedings but not convicted of any offence since 1972, faces up to 20 years in jail if extradited to the U.S. and found guilty. His arrest Tuesday came after two other notorious Mr. Boucher received a life sentence in May, 2002, for ordering the murder of two prison guards. Three months later, Mr. Matticks, a prominent figure in the West End Gang, a notorious crime syndicate with mostly Anglo-Irish members, was sentenced to 12 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. At the sentencing this summer of nine members of Mr. Boucher's organization who had pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and conspiracy to murder gang rivals, Crown attorney André Vincent said the police have managed to destabilize the Hells Angels and curb drastically the number of gangland killings in Montreal. Nevertheless, Mr. Vincent conceded, the arrests have not stopped illicit drug sales. Mr. Boucher and about 120 other members of his Nomads organization have been arrested, but other bikers from Angels chapters in
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