West End Gang

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The West End Gang is one of Canada's most influential organized crime groups. Active since the early 1900s, their rise to notoriety did not begin until the 1960s when they were known simply as the "Irish gang". Their criminal activities were focused on, but not restricted to, the west side of Montreal. Most of the gang's earnings in the early days were derived from truck hijackings, home invasions, kidnapping, protection racket, drug trafficking, extortion and armed robbery.The gang, which is dominated by -- but not exclusively limited to -- members of Irish descent, began to move into the drug trade in the 1970s. They began to import hashish and cocaine and developed important contacts in the United States, South America and Europe with some members working out of Florida.Since that time, the gang has formulated ties to the Montreal Mafia, the Cosa Nostra and the Hells Angels.