Three gang members who were plucked from a Canadian high-security prison earlier this year by a helicopter in a briefly successful escape have had an extra year added to their sentences for the breathtaking caper. Yves Denis, Denis Lefebre and Serge Pomerlau had such a laundry list of serious crime convictions that the judge in the case didn’t really have much room to make them pay for the escape. They were handed sentences ranging from 16 to 22 years on drug, gangsterism and conspiracy convictions and there were also millions of dollars in fines that will add years to the sentences of two of the men if not paid. Meanwhile, there hasn’t been much about the pilot of the R-44 that dropped into the heavily secured prison yard and took off again within seconds with the three aboard.
The escape happened June 7 at the Orsainville Institution near Quebec City and the three escapees were found in Montreal two weeks later. At the time, police said more arrests were likely, presumably including the helicopter pilot, but there has been little about that since. One of the suspects is believed to be Maxime Lefebvre, the 25-year-old son of one of the escapees, who is also a helicopter pilot.
