Two Hells Angels associates have been charged in the severe beating of an off-duty Montreal police officer at a Mexican nightclub

File photo of members of the motorcycle gang 'Hell's Angels'. (QMI Agency File Photo)

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MONTREAL - Two Hells Angels associates have been charged in the severe beating of an off-duty Montreal police officer at a Mexican nightclub in January.

Marc-Andre Lachance, 28, and Shane Kenneth Maloney, 34, were arraigned Friday.

The officer was beaten so badly that most of his facial bones were broken.

The case is unusual because Canadian courts rarely hear cases in which the events took place on foreign soil.

The officer, who is not being identified to protect his cover, was attacked in Cancun.

The officer was vacationing with several colleagues when he recognized the Hells associates during a trip to a bar.

The defendants allegedly noticed him when he pulled out a camera to snap some pictures of them. Police say the officer was grabbed and taken into a nearby tent where he was held for several hours and beaten mercilessly.

He had to have reconstructive surgery in Mexico before returning to Canada.

An arrest warrant was issued against Lachance and Maloney on Thursday and they were quickly arrested.