 | A lawsuit filed at the Montreal courthouse by Salvatore Cazzetta, 63, a member of the Hells Angels since roughly 2004, involves a case in which he and 20 others were charged in November 2015. At least 15 people have since pleaded guilty to some of the charges in the drug-trafficking case, but Cazzetta challenged the case brought against him. Two charges were tossed out following his preliminary inquiry and, on Dec. 6, the prosecution announced it would no longer prosecute him on the last remaining charge. Cazzetta argues he was denied bail and detained between November 2015 and August 2017 without cause because prosecutors did not reveal evidence that was dropped in their laps shortly after Cazzetta and the other men were arrested. |  |
 | The leader of the drug-trafficking network was arrested on Nov. 19, 2015, and co-operated with police immediately. Within hours of his arrest, he provided a sworn statement, recorded on videotape, and was given a contract to work as a witness for the prosecution. According to the lawsuit, the witness told the police that Cazzetta “had nothing to do with Hochelaga—Maisonneuve” and that Cazzetta had nothing to do with his drug-trafficking network. Four days later, a Quebec Court judge began hearing evidence in Cazzetta’s bail hearing, but the statement the witness gave to police was not mentioned. Because of this, Cazzetta argues, the investigators and prosecutors “did not act in good faith, rigour and the honesty required” by people involved in the justice system. |
