New True Crime Documentary ‘Kings of Coke’ Digs Into Montreal’s Past As “Bank Robbery Capital of North America”

Newly released on Crave, Kings of Coke takes a deep dive into Montreal’s deep criminal roots via a film noir-style documentary that covers decades of the Irish Mob’s involvement in the city’s cocaine trade.

Once labelled the “bank robbery capital of North America,” Montreal has long been notorious for its large criminal underworld that ripples across the continent. Based on the book Montreal’s Irish Mafia by D’Arcy O’Connor, the documentary focuses on the city’s West End Gang and its ruthless leaders whose avant-garde methods of operation resulted in their rise to the top of the criminal world just as quickly as their fall.

“Montreal has always had a reputation as a crime capital, but few people know the story of how a ragtag group of bank robbers and thieves rose to become international drug kingpins,” said director Julian Sher in a press release.

Kings of Coke interviews former West End Gang members, cops, and journalists who witnessed the rise and fall of the Irish mobsters first-hand. Their control of the Montreal ports allowed for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine to enter the city under the radar. The result of such obscene amounts of money was a fight for more power that inevitably resulted in political corruption and several bloodbaths across the city.  

“We reveal how they corrupted the justice system – with tragic consequences that left a trail of blood and bodies,” said Sher.

The documentary is available to watch on Crave.