Quebec’s public contract watchdog has asked provincial police to investigate a potential link between Hexo Corp. and the Hells Angels, reported the Globe and Mail last week.
A HEXO spokesperson calls them “false allegations,” saying that they operate “at the highest standards of legal and regulatory compliance.”
Red flags on social media
The request came following a report by Journal de Montréal investigating Josh Hill, who posted several photos of himself posing with members in good standing of the Hells Angels on Instagram. HEXO acquired Redecan in May for $925 million in a cash-and-stock deal.
According to the report, Hill has also posed in photos with the founders of Redecan, Peter James Montour and William Montour, referring to them as “the Rede Gang” in the caption. Peter is currently a director at HEXO and Peter James is a non-voting observer. It also says Hill has had an office at Redecan. Corporate filings show a Joshua Raymond Hill was the director of one of eight numbered companies that were private investors in Redecan. As of Nov. 18, a receptionist at the company said he worked there.
‘No business relationship’
HEXO maintains there is no association between the company and Hill. “There is no business relationship between HEXO and the person in question, either today or in the past. HEXO operates under the highest standards of legal and regulatory compliance. “
An unnamed source in the Globe report said Hill is still a shareholder of HEXO. HEXO’s spokesperson declined to say whether or not he still held shares of the company.
The rules
Health Canada is also aware of the Journal de Montréal story, reports the Globe. Federal regulations require a criminal background check on directors and senior executives of licensed cannabis companies to ensure there is no link to organized crime. But what Hill’s current relationship is to both Redecan and the Hells Angels remains unclear. It’s also not certain if authorities view the Hells Angels as an organized crime group.
HEXO’s spokesperson said they are dismayed by the reports. “We are disappointed by any attempt to tarnish the HEXO name with false accusations.”
