The Hell‘s Angels motorcycle club has earned a reputation as one of most notorious organized crime outfits in history. Known for its involvement in drug trafficking, contract killings, extortion, prostitution and a host of other illegal activities, Hell’s Angels has left behind a trail of bodies through ruthless use of violence.
While the majority of members keep low profiles, some figures have stood out for their fearsome acts and pivotal roles in the club’s criminal enterprises. After examining the key events and murders associated with Hell’s Angels over the decades, these are ten of the most dangerous members based on their fearsome reputations and shocking crimes.
1. Maurice “Mom” Boucher
As the former national president and leader of the Montreal chapter of Hell’s Angels, Maurice “Mom” Boucher wielded immense power and influence in the 1980s and 1990s over Quebec’s criminal underworld.
Known for his ruthless approach and take-no-prisoners attitude when it came to turf wars and consolidating control of the drug trade, Boucher ordered daring assassinations, coerced witnesses and bribed officials during his rise to the top.
He was reputed to have been involved in over 20 murders during his reign at the top. The bloody war Boucher launched against rival biker clubs took the lives of over 160 people before he was brought to justice on multiple life sentences.
2. Yves "Apache" Trudeau
One of the first members of the Montreal chapter in the 1970s, Yves "Apache" Trudeau gained a fearsome reputation as a cold-blooded killer. By the time he became a government informant in 2000, he admitted to carrying out 43 murders throughout his time with Hell’s Angels.
His killing spree included the shocking death of 19-year-old Sylvain Laplante, who was murdered by Trudeau for insulting the club by mockingly handing them a bag of popcorn to “help them through the winter.” Trudeau dominated the Quebec underworld drug trade through campaign of terror and intimidation tactics.
3. David "Wolf" Carroll
A trusted hitman for Boucher, David "Wolf" Carroll allegedly carried out at least 15 murders on his orders. This includes the infamous Lennoxville Purge in 1985 that saw five Hell’s Angels members executed for plotting against Boucher.
Carroll’s penchant for violence started early as a young man robbing drug dealers in Montreal alongside other gang members. He worked his way up the ranks to become Boucher‘s go-to assassin, showing no hesitation to torture or kill enemies of the club. He remains at large after Boucher‘s conviction.
4. Alan Passaro
In one of the most high-profile killings associated with Hell’s Angels, member Alan Passaro was charged with the stabbing murder of Meredith Hunter at a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California in 1969.
Hunter had drawn a gun before Passaro tackled and stabbed him to death in full view of the horrified audience in a killing that came to symbolize the dark flip side of hippie-era permissiveness. While Passaro was eventually acquitted on grounds of self defense, the Hell’s Angels violence earned them widespread public condemnation.
5. Hans Joachim Ehrig
A former SS officer and member of the Thunder Bay chapter of Hell’s Angels, Hans Joachim Ehrig represents one of the darkest chapters for the club. Known as “Big Walter,” he had escaped Germany after WWII and built a new life in Canada.
As president of the Canadian Hell’s Angels, Ehrig led the club into the illegal drug trade, using violence to control ports and transportation routes. While he tried to clean up the club’s outlaw image through publicity drives in the 1960s, Big Walter’s past as a Nazi SS officer training guard dogs to attack prisoners continued to haunt Hell’s Angels reputation.
6. Rene Charlebois
A longtime Quebec Hell’s Angel directly involved in the Lennoxville purge that saw five members murdered for plotting against Boucher in 1985. His inside knowledge of club activities made him a target for rival biker gangs.
In 2000, Charlebois narrowly survived an assassination attempt when a bomb placed under his truck exploded prematurely. He escaped the vehicle before the blast, which left a crater three meters deep in the Montreal street, highlighting his reputation as one of the most prominent figures within the Hell’s Angels during their Quebec reign in the 1990s.
7. George Wegers
An original founder member of the Oakland Hell’s Angels in 1957, George Wegers helped establish the tone for the outlaw bikers club with his love for violence and flouting the law. While the San Francisco chapter took care of business on the streets under his leadership, Wegers focused on expanding Hell’s Angels into a national and later international organized crime syndicate.
Described by law enforcement as extremely dangerous and violence-prone, Wegers had a knack for avoiding jail time despite the club‘s activities with illegal gambling, extortion, prostitution and drug rings on his watch. His vision for growing Hell’s Angels established the foundations that allowed it to become the most famous outlaw motorcycle club internationally.
8. John Virgil Punko
As President of the Haney chapter of Hell’s Angels in British Columbia, Canada, John Virgil Punko cultivated a reputation for brutality and intimidation tactics to expand his meth and fentanyl trafficking networks across western Canada and the Pacific northwest United States.
Constant run-ins with the law cemented Punko‘s status as one of the most unrepentantly vicious members of the motorcycle club. He invested time and profits from his dealings to enhance the gang‘s assets and operations, recruiting new members and bringing rivals under his control to bolster the power of the Haney chapter.
9. Benjamin Nolan
Former national enforcer for the Hell’s Angels in Australia, Benjamin Nolan was feared throughout the outlaw motorcycle gang community Down Under. Known for unprovoked violent assaults, he worked closely with senior Hell’s Angels leadership in Melbourne to coordinate intimidation efforts and revenge attacks across Australian states.
In 2009, Nolan senselessly attacked a 64-year old man outside a gym on CCTV camera, landing the victim in the hospital with serious injuries. The savage beating eventually led to Nolan‘s imprisonment, where he has continued his violence against fellow inmates. The former MMA fighter‘s aggressive reputation and links to organized crime make him one of the most dangerous Australian members.
10. Marc Cabana
A longtime member of the Montreal chapter of Hell’s Angels, Marc Cabana played a key role in the bloody 1990s gang war against rival biker clubs that dominated Quebec’s criminal underworld. Rising up the ranks under Boucher’s leadership, Cabana controlled east Montreal’s drug trafficking and prostitution rings at the height of the conflict.
In 1994, Cabana and two fellow Montreal bikers walked brazenly into a Manhattan prison to meet an imprisoned member and coordinate business matters, showcasing their boldness and reach. Cabana was later arrested while trying to sell missiles to undercover agents, encapsulating the danger and absurdity surrounding pivotal figures in the Canadian Hell’s Angels chapter.
The names above represent a sample of the most ruthless members associated with Hell’s Angels over the decades. Their crimes highlight how the motorcycle club relies on fear, intimidation and cold-blooded violence to exert control over criminal rackets, settle scores and take out rivals that stand in their way.
While the club has looked to sanitise its image through charity drives and community events, its lengthy rap sheet of drugs, extortion and murder paints a dark picture. For every smiling photo op exists someone like Maurice Boucher lurking the background, ready to order ruthless violence to maintain dominance.
The danger posed by Hell’s Angels is best summed up by members themselves – “When we do right nobody remembers, when we do wrong nobody forgets.” For victims and authorities tasked with containing them, the brutal deeds of its most notorious members remain unforgotten and stand as a warning never to underestimate the violence they are capable of unleashing.