Hells Angels clubhouse raided for selling booze

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (September 19, 2019) BTN — Winnipeg police raided two Manitoba Hells Angels clubhouses and charged three people with selling liquor without a licence under the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act.

The search warrants were executed in December 2018 after police said they received information from three people that the Hells Angels were selling liquor without a licence inside two clubhouses in rural Manitoba houses. One is in the rural municipality of Rosser, the other on Redonda Street in the rural municipality of Springfield.

Winnipeg police executed search warrants at two Hells Angels clubhouses in Manitoba in December 2018, including this property on Road 65 N. in the rural municipality of Rosser.

Police affidavits say the informants told investigators there is a set price for booze at the clubhouse bars and the Angels believed that law enforcement couldn't investigate them if they put up signs that said "Donations."

The details were sealed by a provincial court judge in December but the documents were recently unsealed, although some information was redacted to protect the identities of confidential informants.

"Each clubhouse advertises that any alcoholic drink or non-alcoholic drink is not for sale but individuals can 'donate' the $3 or $5 to the Hells Angels," the police affidavit says.

Police were told the Hells Angels have a book behind the bar with a running tab for people who owe money for drinks, and the motorcycle club put the money in a bank account along with proceeds of their clothing sales — an account with more than $60,000 in it, the affidavit says.

To verify some of the source information they received, police said they relied on a number of things, including statements they got from officers in the organized crime unit who had observed the bar while arresting a suspect in the Redonda Street home in 2017.

Police said they also saw photos of a fully stocked clubhouse bar and fridge on the Facebook page of a prospective member of the Hells Angels and in the background of photos of a woman wearing support gear on the Manitoba Nomads website, which sells Hells Angels support clothing to the public.

Winnipeg police search warrant documents say the Hells Angels were selling liquor inside two Manitoba clubhouses without a licence to do so, and the setup included a donation jar to keep law enforcement away. (Provincial Court of Manitoba)

"If they want money for a drink, they're gonna get money for a drink, whether it's put in a jar or handed to someone in a parking lot," said Peter Edwards, Toronto Star crime reporter and organized crime author.

"I think there's all sorts of criminal activity in Hells Angels, but I think that the liquor licence type stuff is, I don't know.… I just don't see it as something that's going to make the streets safe."

Last December following the raids, Winnipeg police charged three men for selling liquor without a licence: Dale Donovan, who now goes by the name Kelland and is the president of the Manitoba Nomads, which is a chapter of the Hells Angels; Lorne Corlett, a full patch member of the gang; and prospect Cameron Barron.

The crime is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000, up to a year in jail, and forfeiture of any items seized by law enforcement.

In the 43-page search warrant documents, police said they received photographs from other Canadian police agencies that had conducted similar raids that showed "donation bins" posted in other Hells Angels clubhouse bars.

"All chapters of the Hells Angels across Canada follow the same rules and structure. The Hells Angels have world rules, Canada rules and then chapter rules," the police affidavit said.

In search warrant documents, Winnipeg police say in September 2018 a Hells Angels prospect posted these photos on his Facebook page. Officers said the photos were taken in a Hells Angels clubhouse and show a fully stocked bar, which supports allegations they were selling liquor without a licence. (Provincial Court of Manitoba)

Police said raids were done in Kelowna, B.C., Sudbury, Ont., St. Catharines, Ont., Ottawa and Toronto. CBC News also found video on YouTube showing police in Australia have done the same.

"It's an incredibly sophisticated organization with significant financial backing, so it makes it very difficult for police to take action against them," said Kelly Sundberg, an associate professor in the department of economics, justice and policy studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary.

"The police are limited by geography and by budgets. The Hells Angels are not."

Sundberg said regulatory approaches are one of the only tools police have to combat criminal organizations like the Hells Angels.

Winnipeg police search warrant documents say police in Ottawa raided a Hells Angels clubhouse in December 2017 and photos showed it had a similar setup to other Hells Angels clubhouses in other parts of the country. (Provincial Court of Manitoba)

"With the hopes that by taking that regulatory action against the organization that they'll discover a criminal act that will open the door for a criminal investigation that allows them to proceed on larger charges," Sundberg said.

Edwards, who has written 10 books on organized crime, understands why police would crack down on the Hells Angels in any way that they can, but he believes investigations like this will do nothing more than garner sympathy for them.

"They're not gonna keep piles of cocaine laying on the table in their clubhouse," Edwards said.

"What they're trying to do is crack down on criminal activity, drug trafficking, and this sort of thing is kind of, it's sort of a nuisance thing but its not going to put anyone out of business."

The Hells Angels have a long record of violence in Canada, including the murder of two justice officials in Quebec in 1997. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Quebec branch of the Hells Angels was warring with a rival outlaw motorcycle gang, the Rock Machine. That resulted in an estimated 150 murders over the course of a decade, and extensive drug trafficking and related crimes in Manitoba, the RCMP and Manitoba Justice say.

In 2014, Manitoba became the first government in North America to formally list the Hells Angels as a criminal organization. Similar designations have been made in Ontario and British Columbia.

But Sundberg said over the years, the Hells Angels have worked hard to change their public image by holding fundraisers for charity and organizing community events.

"I would not be surprised if the Hells Angels secure some of the best marketing and communications people money can buy. They've done an excellent job … in steering that lens of criminality away from them and even put it into the minds of the public that they are in fact a legitimate organization."

He said the narrative the Hells Angels present today is that the negative press has been manufactured by law enforcement and that they've been unfairly targeted.

"The Hells Angels are incredibly sophisticated. They have some of the best lawyers and accountants. The resources available to them, they're global in scope," Sundberg said.

SOURCE: CBC

MC and Cops share different views over raid

Fresno, California, USA (September 10, 2019) BTN — A group of local motorcyclists say Fresno anti-gang officers overreacted in a raid on their clubhouse Saturday, but a sheriff’s spokesman said the officers had no choice after an armed Hells Angel ran and hid inside the building.

“It was crazy, bro,” said Jay Upton, vice president of the Savage Assassins. “We were racially profiled.” Upton said he is heavily tattooed, and “my appearance sometimes doesn’t accommodate people.”

The sheriff’s spokesman, Tony Botti, said there were two armed Hells Angels at the event and dismissed the idea that members of the MAGEC gang unit should have let club members eject the fleeing suspect, identified as Rey Rodriguez, 32, of Fresno, instead of serving a warrant and searching the property.

“That’s not the way it works,” said Botti. His advice: Don’t hang out with the wrong people.

Rodriguez was arrested on charges of being an armed gang member. The other man identified as an Angel, Stephen Meza, 58, of Tulare, was arrested on the same charge as well as carrying a stolen gun. Rodriguez and four others at the party were cited for obstructing an investigation and one person was held on an outstanding DUI warrant.

Related | Hours long standoff at clubhouse ends with arrests

Upton said the Savage Assassins staged an end of summer event that began Saturday afternoon at their clubhouse on Belmont Avenue east of First Street. A barbecue, cold drinks and a wet T-shirt contest were on the schedule. Upton said he noted a heavy law enforcement presence in the area early in the day, but said he talked the event over with at least one sheriff’s sergeant and it appeared there was a mutual understanding: No alcohol was being sold, only a plate of food.

Flyer for the Savage Assassins MC party

Upton said Christian biker groups were also at the event. “I’m not here to make a nuisance in my city,” he said. Things went south when a MAGEC detective reported seeing that Rodriguez was armed. Confronted, Rodriguez fled inside a steel fence and others inside locked the gate, Botti said. Upton refused permission for officers to go inside to detain Rodriguez. “Not my call,” he said. The Savage Assassins wanted to see a warrant.

That led to officers obtaining one. In the hours that followed, Upton said party goers were detained with zip ties. Some of the detainees, including Upton’s father, Mike, were in their 60s and 70s, he said. Upton added that his father, who suffers from a heart ailment and COPD, is still in the hospital as a result of the stress.

Upton said MAGEC detectives “destroyed the clubhouse and damaged a steel door at a next-door radiator shop in a search for weapons. Botti said a total of three were recovered: two in possession of Rodriguez and Meza, and one on a motorcycle.

Upton said the incident was “blown way out of proportion,” but members of his club were suffering consequences Monday when they went back to work: “Their jobs are in jeopardy.” Botti said the party goers have themselves to blame for obstructing the investigation: “As the night went on, a lot of them were drunk,” and uncooperative.

As for the potential of any unwarranted damages, Botti said a claim could be filed with the county’s risk management unit.

SOURCE: The Fresno Bee

Ex-Gypsy Joker MC member fears retaliation in custody

Portland, Oregon, USA  (September 10, 2019) BTN – A former member of the Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Club facing federal racketeering, kidnapping and murder charges argued Monday that he’s at more risk of retaliation behind bars than he would be outside while awaiting trial.

Joseph Duane Folkerts is a target, said his defense lawyer, Andrew Kohlmetz. “It’s easier to get to him in jail than out of custody,’’ Kohlmetz said.

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Jones denied the request to release Folkerts, noting that he’s currently in protective custody and faces a potential life sentence if convicted. Folkerts, 62, is one of four co-defendants who face similar charges and remain behind bars pending an April trial. Two others have pleaded guilty.

Folkerts’ attorneys, by day’s end, filed a notice they plan to appeal Jones’ ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Prosecutors said Folkerts wasn’t involved in the initial abduction of former club member Robert “Bagger’’ Huggins, 56, who was taken from a home in Northeast Portland to a rural property in southwest Washington, where he was beaten, tortured and killed.

Related | Gypsy Joker MC murder trial continues
Related | Gypsy Joker MC national president released
Related | Gypsy Joker MC members face charges

But Folkerts did witness the 2015 beating in Washington, helped restrain Huggins with zip ties around his wrists during the assault and then drove Huggins’ body to a field near Ridgefield, Washington, where it was dumped, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Mygrant.

Huggins’ body was found by loggers on July 1, 2015 in the Clark County field. He had a fractured skull, a broken rib, a broken leg, a removed nipple, nails driven through his boots, slash wounds to his back and face and many blows to his face. Mygrant said Folkerts was a member of Road Brothers, a different motorcycle club at the time of Huggins’ death. After the killing, he got a patch to join the Gypsy Joker club as a reward, the prosecutor said.

Folkerts’ lawyer challenged that characterization. Kohlmetz said Folkerts was forced to join the Gypsy Jokers after the beating of Huggins. “It’s not a reward,’’ Kohlmetz said. “It’s a threat, purchasing his silence. … ‘Here’s you patch, sir. You’re in.’"

Sometime in the summer and fall of 2016, Folkerts was assaulted by a number of Gypsy Joker club members at the clubhouse and elsewhere and knocked unconscious by one of his current co-defendants, Kohlmetz told the court. Folkerts also had his motorcycle and identification stolen by Gypsy Jokers, his lawyer said.

He was basically “beat out’’ of the motorcycle club, Kohlmetz said.

When he arrived at the Multnomah County Detention Center in downtown Portland after his arrest, he learned from another inmate in his dorm that he had been “green lit,’’ meaning that word had come from co-defendant Earl Fisher that it would be OK to assault Folkerts, Kohlmetz said.

So he was moved to Inverness Jail in Northeast Portland, but once there, he came into contact with two of his co-defendants, Kohlmetz said. He was then shipped out to the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Institution in The Dalles for his own protection. Somehow, he was housed in a dorm with the son of a Gypsy Joker member and told face-to-face to “shut up," Kohlmetz said. He’s now in protective custody at his own request, according to court testimony.

The prosecutor urged the judge to consider the severity of the allegations. Huggins was water-boarded and struck in the head with a baseball bat, Mygrant said, though he conceded that Folkerts wasn’t involved in the torture. Folkerts has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death and conspiracy to commit kidnapping resulting in death.

Fisher and Tiler Evan Pribbernow – two of the six charged in the kidnapping and murder - have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in racketeering. Pribbernow has been described as the government’s "star witness,’’ who delivered the fatal blow to Huggins with the bat.

A seventh defendant, Kenneth Earl Hause, the national president of the outlaw motorcycle club, was accused only in the racketeering conspiracy and released from custody in February pending trial.

SOURCE: Oregon Live

Hours long standoff at clubhouse ends with arrests

Fresno, California, USA (September 9, 2019) BTN — Eight people were arrested on Saturday after an hours-long standoff at a MC's clubhouse came to an end, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

It all started at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, when anti-gang enforcement deputies were investigating weapon offenses and possible gang members at the Savage Assassins motorcycle clubhouse near Belmont and First.

Deputies say they spotted a man standing outside of the clubhouse with a gun on him.

The man ran back into the clubhouse and deputies followed him in, but left after a verbal confrontation took place inside.

Since the man had a gun, S.W.AT. was called out to the scene, leading to an hours-long standoff.

After receiving a search warrant, deputies started ordering people out of the clubhouse, one by one.

One man came out with a gun and was arrested by police without incident.

Eight people were arrested and 42 others were detained while deputies began to search the clubhouse.

One woman with a heart condition was taken from the scene to Community Regional Medical Center, police say she was not injured during the standoff.

9-08 SWAT Standoff at Motorcycle Club
Fresno County's Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium says one of its deputies was after ONE guy, who ran into the Savage Assassins Motorcycle Club. Him fleeing led to 42 people being detained and 8 arrested Saturday.
Posted by Marie Edinger KMPH on Sunday, September 8, 2019

The man who was seen outside of the clubhouse with a gun was arrested for being a felon with a firearm.

Once everyone was out, officers began to search the clubhouse.

The search continued until around 3 a.m. on Sunday.

SOURCE: Fox26 News

Hells Angels support charity with bike show

Albir, Costa Blanca, Spain (September 2, 2019) BTN — The ninth Costa Blanca custom bike show rolled into the town of Albir on sunday, September 1st to the sound of roaring exhaust pipes and live, very load rock music.

Bikes arrived from as far afield as Rumania, lined up in the streets with chrome as far as the eye could see.

Hell of a Bike show Credit: Steve Kenyon

The event was organised, as in the years before, to support a local charity, by the 20 members of the Costa Blanca Hells Angels under the banner of The Custom Bike Show. This year, working with the Alfaz Del Pi town hall and Local Police, all monies raised will go to providing school books to those families not in a position to purchase them themselves.

The beautiful and serene surroundings of Albirs Eucalyptus park was transformed for the day into a bikers paradise with pop up shops selling everything from clothing, jewelry, Harley Davidson rental to custom resprays. Supporting the local Hells Angels were many other bike clubs including the Devil Dolls of Sweden and Alicantes Black Riders.

On stage the music was provided throughout the day by the bands Happy Freuds, Reverend Wet finger and The London Blues Company playing a combination of original material, classic rock and punchy blues.

Beneath the cover of the huge Eucalyptus trees, hundreds of leather clad revellers enjoyed the music, fuelled and refreshed by burgers, hot dogs and beers from the nearby catering tents.

The highlight came with the judging of the selected bikes, with the winner of the peoples vote going to Big Steve with his bike Big Dog Chopper in candy red with 24 karat gold leaf (see photo).

Both 1st and 2nd prizes from the judges choices went to Rune Skullerud from Norway (see photo of man with two bikes). Rune owns the motorbike workshop Iron-Boys in Torrevieja were he builds and sells custom bikes.

As the day drew to an end and the park returned to its usual tranquillity, you could only feel a debt of gratitude to the guys and girls that had organised the event.

Not only for the important charity work they had done but for creating an annual festival that grows in size and importance year after year.

SOURCE: Euro Weekly

Cops harass and give tickets to Bandidos MC

Rapid City, South Dakota, USA (August 31, 2019) BTN — Rapid City Police have issued 40 citations and made one arrest after law enforcement came in contact with members of the Bandidos motorcycle club Thursday.

The RCPD says they continued to come into contact with other members of the Bandidos and are concerned for public safety. "We have a plan in place to keep them and the residents of Rapid City safe during the run," Medina said.

He said 16 motorcycles were pulled over for traffic violations as the group exited I-90 near Omaha. 30 citations have been issued for traffic violations, eight citations for possession of a firearm on a motorcycle, and two citations for possession of marijuana. Eight firearms were seized in the process.

22-year-old Antonio Silva of Los Luna, NM was arrested during a traffic stop and charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, carrying a firearm on a motorcycle commission of a felony with a firearm, and following too closely. According to jail records, Silva appeared in court Friday morning.

According to the police, a large gathering of the Bandidos motorcycle club members is going on in the Black Hills.

SOURCE: Rapid City Journal

Reward for murderer of Pagan's MC member

Spring Hill, Florida, USA (August 31, 2019) BTN — The Florida Sheriffs Association is offering a $5,000 enhanced reward for information leading to the killer of a member of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club in January. The reward will be combined with a $3,000 reward offer by Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay.

At 6:52 on Jan. 16, Pasco County Fire Rescue received a call about a gunshot victim at 14838 Glenrock Road in Spring Hill. When they arrived, they found James William Earl, 32, dead in his driveway as his fiance, Stephanie Harper, stood over his body, inconsolable.

While Earl was a documented member of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club, he didn't fit the stereotypical profile. He grew up in Fairfield, Illinois, where he lettered in track and field at Fairfield High School. He joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Afghanistan, returning home with a collection of combat medals pinned to his uniform. The father of a young daughter, Earl had an associate's degree in nursing and was enrolled in the National Aviation Academy in Clearwater at the time of his death.

Related | Member of Pagan's MC found dead

But it was his affiliation with the motorcycle club that piqued the interest of the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents and fueled speculation of an impending motorcycle clubwar. The day after his murder, the FBI arrived to search Earl's home. The agency has yet to say what they were searching for.

Earl is the second member of a motorcycle club to be murdered in Pasco County.

On Dec. 22, 2017, Paul Anderson, the president of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, was murdered execution style during rush hour traffic near the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.

Three members of the rival motorcycle club, the 69ers, were arrested.

SOURCE: Patch

Facility shocked at Hells Angels party

Aldergrove, B.C (August 30, 2019) BTN — A party with booze and multiple strippers, allegedly attended by Hells Angels Motorcycle Club members, was held in one of Langley Township’s own facilities earlier this spring, according to an internal Township email.

The email exchange between staffers was sent a few days after the April 6 party, in which a group rented a room at the George Preston Recreation Centre.

“It was brought to my attention by another staff member that the Hells Angels rented a room at George Preston Arena on Saturday, April 06, 2019,” the email says. “This group is apparently known to Township staff due to having brought strippers to previous facility rentals.”

The staff member went on to write that there were eight strippers at the April 6 event.

One staff member was told there was a problem in one of the washrooms, and walked in to find eight naked women inside. “Staff were very uncomfortable,” the email exchange said. A more senior staff member replied and noted that both the clerical and facilities departments of the Township would be looking into the matter.

The email was provided to the Langley Advance Times by a Township staffer who asked to remain anonymous. The staffer said the event was not a secret within the Township.

Activities at the event did violate the Township’s terms and conditions for room rentals, confirmed Peter Chevrier, the Township’s manager of corporate communications. Chevrier said the April 6 event was booked as a birthday party.

“We can confirm that the event was booked by an individual and not a group,” Chevrier wrote in an email. “This individual had not rented this facility previously.”

The Township has not responded to questions about whether there were complaints from staff about the previous incidents involving the same group and strippers, or whether staff had a policy of refusing admittance to gang members.

There may be some changes to policies on renting Township facilities to the public in the near future.

“Currently, rental terms and conditions are embedded within our rental contracts, but to better manage our room rentals we have been working on an overarching policy for all of our facilities,” Chevrier wrote in an email to the Langley Advance Times.

He did not comment on what the results were of the Township’s internal review nor investigation after the April 6 party.

The same evening that the party with strippers was booked at the George Preston Recreation Centre, a Loonie and Toonie Public Skate was scheduled for 7 to 8:15 p.m. It is unclear if the party overlapped with the public skate or not.

SOURCE: Aldergrove Star