Hells Angels heavyweight Marvin (Normand) Ouimet was arraigned in Montreal court Tuesday on 29 counts � including 22 charges of first-degree murder

BN- Former Hells Angels heavyweight Marvin (Normand) Ouimet was arraigned in Montreal court Tuesday on 29 counts � including 22 charges of first-degree murder � in connection with Operation SharQc, a Quebec police crackdown targeting the notorious biker gang.

His next court date is on Dec. 10, when he will appear with the 137 others arrested as part of the SharQc sweep.

The bearded 41-year-old Ouimet appeared under tight security at the Montreal courthouse where he was also was arraigned in connection with Operation Diligence, a Surete du Quebec investigation targeting the construction industry.

In that case Ouimet faces several charges, including money laundering and using the proceeds of crime.

Ouimet, on the lam since April 2009, was arrested Tuesday afternoon when police located him in a taxi.

He was once one of the 10 most wanted suspects in Quebec but he offered no resistance during the arrest, SQ Sgt. Eloise Cossette said.

In April 2009, SharQc rounded up most of the 156 people named in an indictment that listed several serious charges including conspiracy, gangsterism and 22 counts of first-degree murder.

The murders were carried out within the context of a bloody conflict over drug trafficking turf between the Hells Angels and rival criminal organizations that stretched from 1994 to 2002, a period commonly referred to as the biker war.

The SQ alleges that Ouimet was at the forefront of a conspiracy to take control of Quebec's bricklaying industry to launder dirty money.

SQ Inspector Denis Morin said last year that Ouimet planned to create a consortium of masonry firms through "threats, intimidation and extortion."


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