The Million-Dollar Rat: Inside Canada's Hells Angels Infiltration

The Million-Dollar Rat: Inside Canada's Hells Angels Infiltration Curiosity and danger collide: a man with no criminal record walked into a Surrey trailer in January 2003 and found live hand grenades and machine guns inside a domestic home - and within months the RCMP would be paying him one million dollars to go deeper into the Hells Angels. How did a would-be police recruit become the central figure in one of Canada’s most extraordinary infiltration operations, and what did he do that forced the club and the courts to unravel? In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led a former bouncer and criminology student to accept an RCMP contract called Operation E-Pandora, embedding himself inside the East End Hells Angels chapter. We cover the pivotal moments from the trailer park discovery to the July 2005 Burnaby raid, and ask how far an informant could go before there was no return. Person: Michael Dollard Plante Date: January 2003 Event: Discovery of live hand grenades and machine guns in a domestic home Operation: Operation E-Pandora Location: East End Hells Angels clubhouse, 3598 East Georgia Street, Burnaby - Plante was born January 6, 1967, in North Vancouver. - In July 2005 the RCMP raided the Burnaby clubhouse, seizing $7,000,000 in illegal goods and arresting 18 men, including 6 full-patch members. - The RCMP paid Plante $14,000 per month and provided a leased Harley-Davidson and a 1997 Mustang. - Plante entered Operation E-Pandora in July 2003 after signing a contract with RCMP officer Bob Paulson. - In September 2004 a paper bag left on a deli counter contained one pound of methamphetamine while Plante had been in the operation for 14 months. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].