Hells Angels chapter founder rejected for early release, found to lack 'goodwill'

A Hells Angels jacket is seen in this file image.

Montreal — Hells Angels chapter founder Michel Langlois was rejected for early release on Tuesday after the parole board found he didn't show the necessary “goodwill” or “commitment not to reoffend."

The board also said he denied having acted with the biker gang -- he's maintained that he committed his crimes on his own.

Langlois, 74, is serving a four-year sentence for drug trafficking. He was arrested in 2018, the same year police undertook the massive “Operation Objection,” which incorporated over 300 officers and mostly targeted Hells Angels chapters in Quebec.

Langlois was a founding member of the Angels’ Montreal chapter in 1977 after being associated with another Quebec biker gang, the Popeyes, according to the board. A 2016 police investigation cited by the board said Langlois was a “decision-maker” for the group.

Langlois pleaded guilty to his charges but claimed to only act as an intermediary in crimes allegedly committed by the Angels, board members said.

He said he never dealt with illicit substances himself, according to the board’s report.

“You deny that you acted in collaboration with or for the benefit of the Hells Angels, indicating that you committed the crimes on your own initiative,” read the report, which explains the board’s refusal.

The board said Langlois has spent his time in prison “constructively,” working in correctional facility’s library. No disciplinary reports were filed against him, and two urine tests found that he had not taken drugs.

Still, the board found that his demeanor wasn't satisfactory to justify an early release.

“The Commission is of the opinion that you do not have sufficient knowledge of your risk factors and do not have the tools to manage risky situations,” read the report.

Langlois had reportedly spoken against the possibility of a partial release in a halfway house, citing fears of catching the coronavirus at a vulnerable age.

According to the report, he received a dose of the coronavirus vaccine in January.