Hells Angels MC members accused of drug trafficking

Barcelona, Spain (March 10, 2019) BTN —  The Mossos d'Esquadra of the Criminal Investigation Division of Sabadell (Barcelona) arrested 19 people on 26 February as part of a police operation aimed at illicit activities carried out by members of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, in its headquarters in Barcelona and Tarragona.

In a statement on Sunday, the Catalan police has reported that the investigation relates to crimes against public health, robbery with violence, coercion, extortion, injury, possession of weapons and membership of a criminal organization . In March 2018, the Central Unit of Criminal Bands learned of an incident in which five members of the band violently broke into a bar in Cambrils (Tarragona), where members of a rival club were violently assaulted with chairs and objects.

The investigation showed that the members of this band in Tarragona "formed a perfectly structured and hierarchical criminal organization with the purpose of trafficking drugs and committing violent crimes." The agents also corroborated that the club applied a strict internal discipline against the members of the group that violated the norms of the organization.

The Hells Angels MC of Tarragona, which have members in Catalonia, Aragon and the Basque Country, exercised violence and intimidation towards other clubs of bikers present in their territory to which they had submitted to their control and supervision.

Regarding drug trafficking, agents showed that the club had marijuana crops in real estate that were rented expressly for this activity and that other members of the club did in their own homes. They also trafficked cocaine, both from the club's headquarters and through businesses related to its members, and it was detected that the headquarters of Hells Angels MC in Barcelona functioned as a point of sale for cocaine.

On February 26 the Mossos made a police device with 13 entries in the headquarters of Tarragona and Barcelona, ​​as well as in homes of the principal investigated and establishments related to the cultivation and trafficking of narcotic substances. Arrested 19 people in Catalonia and the Basque Country , both members of Hells Angels MC and other people related to the organization.

Seized items

At the Tarragona headquarters, various narcotic substances destined for trafficking were confiscated, and a firearm , abundant documentation, computer equipment and electronic devices with information on the operation, structure and internal regulations of Hells Angels MC, as well as objects and material were intervened. related to the organization. The investigation continues open, the detainees went to court on February 28 and the judge decreed imprisonment for two of those arrested and released with precautionary measures for the rest.

SOURCE: El Español

Bandidos MC member arrested for alleged threats

San Antonio, Texas (March 7, 2019) BTN - A Bandidos Motorcycle Club member was arrested for his alleged role in threatening to harm a government informant. The United States Attorney's Office Western District of Texas said federal authorities arrested San Antonio resident Albert DeLeon, with one count of retaliating against an informant.

DeLeon is a member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, and allegedly threatened to harm an individual for the individual providing information relating to the criminal activities of the club. In 2006, two members of the Bandidos had ordered other members in the club to murder Anthony Benesh who was attempting to start a Texas Chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Austin at the time.

Several Bandidos members murdered Benesh on March 16, 2006 to "protect the power, reputation and territory of the Bandido enterprise." In September 2018, the two Bandidos members were sentenced to life in federal prison.

Deleon Arrest Retaliation SA by on Scribd

According to a press release, DeLeon had allegedly threatened the individual who provided information and evidence relating to the previous case. “The arrest of Albert Deleon sends a strong and unified message that the mere intimidation and threating of a Government witness will not be endured and those who commit these offenses will rightfully be brought to justice,” stated Will R. Glaspy, Special Agent in Charge, DEA. DeLeon appeared Thursday in court and remains in federal custody. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

SOURCE: KSAT 12

Warlocks MC original member “Grub” dead

Lexington, South Carolina (March 5, 2019) BTN — Thomas “Grub” Freeland, Jr., a founder of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club as died. Freeland was born in Graceville, Florida in 1948. Shortly thereafter his family moved to Lockhart, Florida. From that point on he would say "I am just a little boy from Lockhard, Florida". He attended Lockhart Elementary and Junior High School. He was a junior fireman for Lockhart's Volunteer Fire Department.

 His school days ended at Maynerd Evans High School when he decided to go see what else life had to offer. He joined the Navy at 17. He spent 29 months on the USS Shangri-La where he was a ship fitter. His second Med cruise was cut short by orders to Vietnam.

In 1968 he landed in Saigon and reported onboard the USS Tutillia which was stationed in the Republic of South Vietnam. His 9 months in-country was served working on river water patrol boats as part of The Brown Water Navy.

By the time he got home he had been to 27 countries, fought a war and went 3/4 of the way around the world. While serving on the USS Shangri-La he became one of the original 13 members of the Warlocks Motorcycle Club.

When his tour in Vietnam was over he went home and started the Lockhart chapter of the Warlocks. It became known as The Mother Chapter.

Over 50+ years later the Warlocks MC has become international and is known the world over. His brothers in the club gave him the name Grub. He enjoyed cooking and they were relieved they didn't have to. Grub was always spelled with one "b".

He was quick to point this out and did not tolerate any other nicknames or assumptions. It was Grub because he cooked and it was spelled with one B- period. Got that! During his life Grub owned and rode over 30 Harley Davidson's.

His love for Harley's which he called Davidsons never ended. He was also known to call them "The Big Iron". He was often heard saying, "Let's put the Big Iron in the wind." He took his own advice and rode to damn near every state with his club's Bird on his back.

While not a fan of organized religion he did believe in a higher power. His belief led to his love for his wife, family, club and country.

He was very proud to have all of these in his life. He spent a major part of his life enjoying hunting and fishing. Later in life he said he head earned the right to only hunt at Publix and fish at Red Lobster.

While he was always an old Lockhart country boy at heart, once he had all he could take of Mickey Mouse his father's home state became his own. But even before that South Carolina was always a big part of his life. 

He truly believed he was blessed to experience a life which many do not get the opportunity to.

He is survived by his wife, Cindy Freeland; a son, Thomas Morton Freeland III (Trey); and a grandson. His sister, Fran (David) Strawn and brother, Mike (Cathy) Freeland and numerous nieces and nephews. Lastly he will always be survived by his huge Warlock family.

He is predeceased by his father Tom, mother Jimmie and sister Beth. Grub now rides with his Warlock Brothers in the final chapter. Family will receive friends Saturday, March 23rd 2019 at Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington from 10:00 am to noon with ride to follow to graveside services at Plum Branch Baptist Church Cemetery in Plum Branch, SC.

Family and friends may sign the online guest book at www.thompsonsfuneral.com and to view full obituary.

Nomads MC member charged with sexual assault

Sydney, Australia (March 5, 2019) BTN — A member of the Nomads motorcycle club has been charged after allegedly having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl he met at a train station in Sydney's south-west. 

Police will allege in court the pair spoke at a railway station and while on the train, before the 27-year-old man led the girl to a home in Chester Hill and sexually assaulted her on February 14. Following inquiries, detectives attended a Chester Hill home in the early hours of February 28, where the man was arrested after a violent struggle.

One officer broke their hand and another received leg injuries during the altercation, police said. The man was taken to Bankstown Police Station, where he was treated by paramedics for a head injury before being taken to hospital for further treatment.

Police charged the man with having sexual intercourse with a child aged between 10 and 14, and resisting or hindering a police officer in execution of their duty. A bedside hearing was conducted, and he was refused bail to appear at Liverpool Local Court on March 13. The man remains in hospital under police guard.

SOURCE: The Sydney Morning Herald

Outlaws MC: Harry "Taco" Bowman dead at 69

Butner, N.C. (March 3, 2019) BTN — Midwest biker baron Harry (Taco) Bowman died behind bars of cancer over the weekend at 69. The legendary Outlaws Motorcycle Club President ran his empire from Detroit and brought the Outlaws to prominence nationwide, presenting a formidable challenger to Hells Angels founder Ralph (Sonny) Barger as America’s most powerful biker boss at the apex of his reign in the 1990's.

Called “Taco” for his dark complexion and resemblance to someone of Hispanic heritage, Bowman, simultaneously feared, beloved and respected, was serving a life prison sentence in a federal correctional facility for racketeering and murder. He was found guilty at a 2001 trial in Florida, many of the offenses charged being connected to beatings, bombings and coldblooded slayings ordered during the Outlaws ongoing war with Barger’s West Coast-based Hells Angels. Barger and Bowman both took out murder contracts on each other.

Bowman was a gangland chameleon and the consummate underworld politician. He forged strong ties to Detroit’s Italian mafia and Eastern-European criminals in the area and would often shed his long hair, beard and Outlaws “rocker” for a businessman’s cut and three-piece suit in order to build valuable relationships in the white collar world. Living in a mansion on “Mafia Row” in posh Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, he was often chauffeured around town in a custom-designed Rolls Royce and sent his children to an exclusive private school.

When he was elected International President of the Outlaws in 1984, Bowman moved the club’s headquarters from Chicago, where the club was established, to his hometown of Detroit and spearheaded a campaign to take over all of Florida, previously and somewhat currently considered a biker’s no-man’s land, a place where everybody can operate free of territory disputes. A magnetic leader, Bowman also pushed for the diversification of Outlaws street rackets, expanding from an investment structure based primarily on narcotics to a portfolio boasting gambling, loansharking and extortion to augment the drug proceeds.


Upon being indicted in 1997, Bowman went on the run. With the help of the Detroit and Chicago mobs, he avoided arrest for two years. Making it on to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List, he was eventually apprehended in a suburb outside Detroit in the summer of 1999. Years earlier, he had beefed with the Detroit mafia over gambling turf but finessed his way out of a murder contract placed on his head and quickly repaired his bond with local mob chieftains.

Bowman’s downfall resulted from the flipping of his main enforcer Wayne (Joe Black) Hicks, who Bowman assigned the task of overseeing Outlaws activity in Florida and getting other motorcycle clubs in the region in line. Hicks came up through the club’s ranks in the Toledo, Ohio chapter. - Scott Burnstein
SOURCE: The Gangster Report
SOURCE: Death Records

Police target schools to prevent future MC members

Sydney, Australia (March 3, 2019) BTN — ACT police have set their sights on the one commodity bikie clubs could not operate without — a steady stream of new members. Senior officers said after years chasing the drugs, money and leadership figures within motorcycle clubs, it was time for a change in tack. While those areas would still be a priority, Detective Superintendent Scott Moller said ACT Policing was stepping up their efforts to work with young, vulnerable men targeted as potential motorcycle club recruits. 

Superintendent Moller said one of the great frustrations for police was motorcycle club members convincing young people that the club could improve their life — offering fast money, friendships and a culture that would rally around them and protect them.

He said part of police's efforts would be to shatter that bikie club image, and expose the "false promises" made to young men putting on club colours for the first time. "That's where a big part of this battle will be won," Superintendent Moller said. "Really showing the true elements of outlaw motorcycle gang life, and how people get used."

Superintendent Moller said the club members police most often interacted with were the newest, who were pushed into the highest-risk and most dangerous tasks. He said the rewards offered in organised crime for that kind of work simply were not worth the risks taken. "You've got these young people making really poor decisions with their life, and being used by significant organised crime figures," he said.

"The front line in the new battle between police and bikie clubs was not in clubhouses, but in high schools."

ACT police and other youth services said the clearest signs of trouble could be seen at school — particularly young people struggling in class, running into trouble or simply not turning up at all. Police rely heavily on services like the PCYC and Menslink to work with teenagers at risk of falling into a spiral of homelessness, substance abuse and crime, and becoming easy targets as potential gang recruits.

"The biggest problem we see is when young people start disengaging from education, and start mixing with people that are probably less desirable to be around," Cheryl O'Donnell from Canberra's PCYC said. PCYC runs 20-week "intensive diversionary programs" for teenagers referred to them by police, schools or the judicial system. The programs focused on steering kids away from crime and substance abuse, and putting them back into either education or employment. 

Young men craving a connection Canberra-based youth service Menslink operates in a similar space, targeting young men they identified as lacking social connection and role models. Peter Davis from Menslink said when young men did not have figures to look up to, bikies and other crime figures were happy to fill that void. "A lot of the time it's not money and prestige [young men] are looking for, it's the connection," he said. "So if they can get that connection here, they don't need that connection on the wrong side."

Mr Davis said senior bikies were just exploiting some of society's most vulnerable young people. "They're making a lot of money using young guys to do the hard work for them. That's part of the message that we're trying to get across," he said. Superintendent Moller said going after the young people that wound up filling the junior ranks of gangs was a strategy with plenty of promise. "What we need to do now is restrict the recruitment," he said. "That's something that ACT Policing is working quite hard on doing."

With four motorcycle clubs operating in the ACT, along with other non-bikie organised criminal networks, Superintendent Moller said the strategy was not without its challenges. But he said police were willing to invest in the idea for the long run. "We've got to really spend some effort, spend some time, working on restricting the recruitment into these criminal gangs," he said.

SOURCE: ABC News

Mongols Motorcycle Club wins court case

Santa Ana, California, USA (February 28, 2019) BTN — A federal judge has rejected the U.S. government’s unprecedented efforts to gain control of the prized patches that adorn the vests worn by the Mongols motorcycle club, ruling that prosecutors attempts to seize the organization’s trademarks are unconstitutional.

The written ruling, released Thursday morning by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, marks a setback for federal prosecutors who two months ago persuaded a Santa Ana jury to find the Southern California-based club guilty of racketeering. Attorneys for the Mongols described the ruling as a victory for all motorcycle clubs.

At the center of the legal battle was control of the patches that depict the club’s name and an illustration of a ponytailed, Ghengis Khan-type motorcycle rider wearing sunglasses. “The Mongols motorcycle club was able to defend the First Amendment for themselves and all motorcycle clubs,” said Stephen Stubbs, an attorney for the Mongols.

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately comment on the ruling. Carter’s ruling is unlikely to stand as the final word in a case that has drawn national attention. The first-of-its-kind effort to convict the Mongols organization, rather than specific members, of racketeering in order to strip members of their well-known insignia is almost certain to make its way before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and possibly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Carter upheld the racketeering conviction and tentatively agreed that the government can keep seized guns and ammunition from the Mongols.

But he ruled that efforts to take control of the Mongols’ insignia and patches violates the First Amendment’s freedom of speech and association protections and the Eighth Amendment’s protection against excessive fines. “Not everything repugnant is unconstitutional,” Carter said. “And what does the government plan to do with the tattoos of the (Mongols’ insignia and patch) on members’ backs, arms and other body parts? …

That certain individual members of the Mongol Nation displayed the symbols while committing violent crimes or were rewarded with other patches for the commission of crimes does not justify the government’s attempts to bootstrap a conviction of the motorcycle club into censorship of uncharged members or supporters.”

Attorneys for the Mongols have described the patches that adorn members’ leather “cuts” as the organization’s “Holy Grail,” and they have said that the government taking control of them would mark a “death penalty” for the group. “I’m happy that this is not a death sentence here,” said Attorney Joseph Yanny, who represented the Mongols in the racketeering trial. “But I don’t like the fact the club has been labeled a criminal organization.”

Prosecutors have argued that taking the Mongols’ trademark is the only way to stop the “cycle of crime” committed by club members. The Mongols have countered that the crimes were committed by “bad apples” who are no longer involved in the club. In December, jurors agreed that the Mongols organization engaged in drug trafficking, vicious assaults and murder.

Much of the violence – which included attacks, some fatal, in bars and restaurants in Hollywood, Pasadena, Merced, La Mirada, Wilmington and Riverside – was tied to a decades-long rivalry between the Mongols and the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Carter noted that the government has spent more than a decade attempting to take control of the Mongols’ trademark, at one point claiming it wanted to be able to stop members of the club and literally take their jackets off of their backs. “The government is not merely seeking a forfeiture of the ship’s sails,” Carter wrote. “In this prosecution, the United States is attempting to use (racketeering laws) to change the meaning of the ship’s flag.”

The Mongols, one of the nation’s largest motorcycle clubs, was formed in Montebello in the 1970s, and is now based in West Covina. Among those who testified on behalf of the club during the recent racketeering trial was Jesse Ventura, a former Minnesota governor and retired pro wrestler who joined the group in 1973 while still on active duty in the U.S. Navy.

The case stemmed from Operation Black Rain, a multi-agency investigation that involved several law enforcement agents infiltrating the Mongols. A separate, earlier case against specific Mongols members resulted in 77 people pleading guilty to racketeering-related charges.

SOURCE: Los Angeles Times

Undercover cops not charged in Pagan's beating

Pittsburgh, PA (February 27, 2019) BTN — The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced it will not file charges against the undercover Pittsburgh police officers involved in a brawl with members of the Pagan's motorcycle club at a South Side bar last year.

The FBI was investigating whether there were any civil rights violations by the officers. “Upon review of the FBI investigation into the incident, the United States Attorney’s Office determined there is no basis for charging any individual with a federal crime,” a statement from the office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said. The brawl happened early Oct. 12 at Kopy’s Bar and ended with four members of the Pagan's motorcycle club in jail.

The Biker Trash Network as been covering this story from the start. 

Timeline stories below

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The District Attorney’s Office withdrew all charges against the members of the motorcycle club and held off investigating the officers until federal authorities concluded their investigation. The city’s Office of Municipal Investigations and the Citizens Police Review Board are also investigating. Beth Pittinger, who heads the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board, said the board put its investigation on hold pending the outcome of the federal inquiry.

The board will now “aggressively” pursue its investigation, Pittinger said Wednesday. She was stunned by the decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “I’m sure there is more to learn about, but my initial response is that it should concern everyone of us,” Pittinger said, adding that she felt the officers involved weren’t justified to use force against the members of the motorcycle club. “The officers escalated that situation. They initiated it and escalated it.” The city’s Office of Municipal Investigations is continuing its investigation.

Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety had no comment on the decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Spokesman Chris Togneri said an internal investigation continues and the department won’t discuss ongoing investigations. The decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office comes a day after a federal civil lawsuit was filed against the city, the four officers involved and the police union on behalf of Michael Zokaites. Zokaites’ lawsuit, filed by attorney Wendy Williams, essentially calls the police an organized crime enterprise and alleges the city and the officers violated the RICO Act — a federal law meant to target organized crime participants.

Two of the other three men involved in the brawl have also filed lawsuits.

SOURCE: Trib Live