High-profile Hells Angels member arrested in Quebec

One of Quebec's top 10 most-wanted alleged criminals was arrested at a cottage in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, approximately 165 kilometres north of Montreal.

Police say Frdric Landry-Htu, 44, is a member of the Hells Angels' south chapter who had been sought on a Canada-wide warrant in connection to Operation SharQc since April 2009.

He faces 29 charges including drug trafficking, gangsterism and conspiracy to traffic drugs. According to the Quebec government's list ofmost-wanted criminals, Landry-Htu faces 22 murder charges.

Police said Landry-Htu did not resist Quebec provincial police during the arrest, which took place around midnight.

Daniel Renaud, a crime journalist for Quebec daily newspaper La Presse, said Landry-Htu is a big catch for the Sret du Qubec.

"Landry-Htu is probably the most important Hells Angels [to have been] arrested in the last few years," said Renaud. "The police think that he was responsible [for gathering] the intelligence and the information about the enemies like the Rock Machine and other allies during the biker war in the nineties."

He said Landry-Htu was responsible for introducing computer access in all of the Hells Angels' bunkers in Quebec.

"He was an [influential] member, not only in his chapter but in all of the organization," said Renaud.

Landry-Htu appeared in court this afternoon via video-conference.

SharQc is an anti-criminal gang operationrun by theQuebec provincial police, the RCMP and regional police forces.

Police havearrested a total of 144 suspected gang members since launching Operation SharQc and issued warrants for several others.

Authorities say they are still on the lookout for 12 more suspected gang members.