September 8, 2020 – Former West End Gang enforcer Ron (Big Ronnie) McKinnon died of cancer in Montreal last week. Big Ronnie McKinnon, 60, was a collector for the Matticks brothers, the reputed leaders of the Irish mob in Quebec for the last 25 years.
The Coolopolis blog broke the news of McKinnon’s passing. Coolopolis does the most comprehensive coverage of the historic Irish organized crime group known as the West End Gang on the internet. McKinnon had not been active in underworld affairs for well over a decade.
During his gangland heyday, McKinnon worked as personal muscle for West End Gang lieutenant Johnny McLean, a protégé of the Matticks turned suspected government informant in the early 2000s. Gerry Matticks, the last remaining Matticks brother, headquarters out of the Do Drop Inn and reportedly blamed McLean for his 2001 drug bust.
McKinnon survived an attempt on his life when he was shot in the leg by masked assailants he believed were sent to kill him by the Matticks brothers because of his affiliation with McLean. According to the Coolopolis blog, many suspected the Larammee brothers (Cody and Jamie) of being the shooters in the unsuccessful hit on Big Ronnie. The Larammes were killed in a summer 2013 double homicide inside Montreal’s Nite Light Lounge on LaSalle Street.
The post One-Time Montreal Irish Mob Muscle “Big Ronnie” McKinnon Succumbs To Cancer Bout appeared first on The Gangster Report.