Ten Hells Angels arrested in Edmonton

Hells Angels investigation leads to 10 arrests, recovery of $1M in stolen property

Edmonton, Canada, (June 8, 2016) Ten people have been arrested after an investigation into the Edmonton’s Hells Angels motorcycle club led by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).

“Project Al-Wheels” allege the club’s members and associates were involved in theft, re-vinning and trafficking of various stolen trailers and recreational vehicles. Re-vinning refers to the process of giving vehicles false ownership histories and identification numbers.

The investigation dates back to October 2015. A total of 15 search warrants were carried out in Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Alberta Beach, Gunn, Onoway, Morinville, Legal, Ryley, Sherwood Park, Red Deer, St. Albert and Langley, B.C.

Over $1 million in stolen property and 21 firearms were seized in the investigation, including:

• 17 Travel trailers
• 3 Pick-up trucks
• 6 All-terrain vehicles
• 1 Snowmobile
• 2 Dirt bikes
• 18 Rifles
• 2 Shotguns
• 1 Handgun

ALERT spokesman with some of the items seized in the investigation

Officers believe the vehicles were stolen from houses and businesses and then fraudulently registered. They would then be sold amongst Hells Angels members and associates at steep discounts, ALERT said.

Police believe in some cases insurance fraud was also being committed.

Some of the weapons seized during the raids

The 10 people arrested are facing upwards of 300 criminal charges and officers believe more arrests will be made.

The following people were arrested in connection with the investigation:

• Lawrence Cotter, 41,of Alberta Beach
• Bobby Dodman, 42, of Red Deer
• Christopher Escott, 32, of Edmonton
• Mark Funk, 38, of St. Albert
• Laura Hawkridge, 41, of Alberta Beach
• Jacob Jenkins, 38, of Gunn
• Kane Laplante-Racine, 29 of Strathcona County
• Frank Preeper, 42, of Morinville
• Julien Roussel, 58, of Edmonton
• Anthony Shaw, 56, no fixed address, arrested in Grande Prairie

SOURCE: Global News

Shake Down

Bandido’s Clubhouse shot at - Cops raid it

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (June 7, 2016) Police have raided a Bandidos clubhouse after reports of a shooting at the premises.

Officers searched the Bandidos clubhouse in Brunswick after a member of the public reported several shots being fired at the Weston Street property.

It is believed detectives seized several items, including a computer hard drive which is thought to store the clubhouse’s CCTV footage.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Creina O’Grady confirmed: “Police have executed a warrant at a Bandidos OMCG clubhouse in Brunswick following a report of a firearms incident overnight.

 The Bandidos clubhouse in Weston St, Brunswick

“Investigators have been told a number of shots were possibly fired into the Weston Street property. “

She added: “It’s believed no one was injured and the investigation is ongoing.”

SOURCE: Herald Sun

Enjoying the Ride

Undated photo of a Lone Rider enjoying the 'Life'

Hells Angels pick Ottawa for Show of Strength

Mandatory gathering expected to draw hundreds from across Canada

Ottawa, Canada (June 7, 2016) The event is expected to draw members from across the country, as well as members of affiliated junior clubs including the Red Devils, Gatekeepers, 13th Crew and Iron Dragons from Eastern Canada, and the Tribal and Devil’s Arms clubs from the west.

The gathering is scheduled to run July 21-24.

Ottawa offers a central location for the get-together, and is also close to the Gatineau region of Quebec, where the bikers have a strong presence.

There are currently about 450 members of the Hells Angels in Canada, but about 60 of them are either in custody and restricted from associating with outlaw bikers because of bail or parole conditions.

The bikers have a reputation for tipping large at restaurants and bars during national runs to bolster their image. They also generally leave their wives at home.

Attendance is mandatory at a national run every four years, and that includes this year’s event in Ottawa. Members who don’t attend owe a good explanation and a hefty fine – usually a higher amount than it would cost to attend the run – to the club.

For the Angels, a national run is a chance to socialize and also talk face-to-face, without the worry of police intercepting conversations. For police, they offer a chance to gather intelligence, in part through traffic check-stops. For the public, it’s something of a rolling bike show.

Quebec Hells Angels arrive in White Rock, B.C., in 2008 (license plates blacked out by BTN)

A veteran biker cop said current club members generally aren’t as skilled on motorcycles as their counterparts of the past. “These guys, truly half of them can’t ride,” the police officer said. “They’re slipping their clutches. They’re unsure of their bikes.”

There was a heavy police presence in 2013 around Langley, B.C., for a national run, but no reported incidence of law-breaking by the bikers. That event marked the 30th anniversaries of the chapters in White Rock, Nanaimo and Vancouver.

The last mandatory national run was held in 2012 in Saskatoon. While there was no violence there, the club had local lawyer Morris Bodnar on call, just in case.

Les MacPherson, a columnist for the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, wrote that the bikers were well-behaved during the mass gathering in his city.

“On the first two days of the Craven Country Jamboree music festival last weekend, police arrested more than 80 people for various offences, handed out more than 60 tickets on alcohol-related charges and 150 tickets for traffic offences,” MacPherson wrote. “Here, with 400 Hells Angels assembled, no arrests have been reported.”

SOURCE: The Star