76 members and supporters of “Centro,” as the Berlin chapter of the Bandidos is known, are reportedly trying to defect to the Hell’s Angels camp.

There has never been a shortage of brutality between the biker gangs Bandidos and Hell’s Angels. But after 70 members of a Berlin club defected to their erstwhile rivals, police in the German capital are bracing for violence.It’s only been a few months since a group of Bandidos allegedly ambushed and assaulted a group of Hell’s Angels, their arch-enemies in the biker gang world, in Finowfurt, a small town northeast of Berlin. Investigators and prosecutors say that at least half a dozen Berlin-based Banditos chased down a group of Hell’s Angels from the city, resulting in a savage fight.
When all was said and done, a gravely wounded Hell’s Angels hanger-on named Enrico K. was lying on the street — with an axe in his leg. When the police questioned him about what had happened, he attributed his gruesome wound to “a traffic accident.”In the biker system of values, there have always been two constants. One is the sacred “code of silence.” The other is the hatred for enemy biker clubs. As such, a recent development in the Berlin biker scene — first reported by SPIEGEL TV and SPIEGEL ONLINE on Wednesday — is as unprecedented as it is explosive.A total of 76 members and supporters of “Centro,” as the Berlin chapter of the Bandidos is known, are reportedly trying to defect to the Hell’s Angels camp. Investigators say the would-be defectors have already appeared in public wearing brand-new red-and-white Hell’s Angels garb, and that they have seen André S., the head of the local Hell’s Angels club, speaking with members of the rival club. The 45-year-old S. was recently stabbed — likely by Bandidos.

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massacre of Bandidos Motorcycle Club members sheds more light on the lives of several York Region residents connected to the club.

The Bandido Massacre: A True Story of Bikers, Brotherhood and Betrayal, was compiled after three years of interviews and trial coverage said author and Toronto Star crime reporter Peter Edwards. The book published Tuesday.massacre of Bandidos Motorcycle Club members sheds more light on the lives of several York Region residents connected to the club. The outlaw biker club is perhaps best known publicly in Ontario for a mass murder and subsequent trial, which concluded late last year with the conviction of six men, after the bodies of eight bikers were found near Shedden, ON.
Among those murdered in 2006 were York residents Paul "Big Paul" Sinopoli, 30, of Jackson's Point, the secretary-general of the Bandidos Toronto chapter and Jamie "Goldberg" Flanz, 37, of Keswick.
The book offers a rare glimpse into the often insular biker realm. But rather than just its seedy, dark image, Mr. Edwards paints a different picture of some of the men.For instance, Mr. Flanz, owned a computer business and was a Bandido prospect for six months before his death, and Toronto's George Kriarakis, who reportedly had a strong marriage, likely wanted camaraderie, according to Mr. Edwards.In late October, six men, Wayne Kellestine, Frank Mather, along with Winnipeg residents Marcelo Aravena, Brett Gardiner, Michael Sandham - a former police officer - and Dwight Mushey were found guilty for their roles in the killings.The Texas headquarters of the club was upset with the Canadians for breaching club rules. The night of the murder, there was an attempt to rescind the membership of several men, Mr. Edwards wrote.Even before the Bandidos massacre, Mr. Flanz's home was connected to another violent incident.In December 2005, a 20-year-old woman, who is now in witness protection and who Mr. Edwards referred to as Mary Thompson, was in a home on Hattie Court, in Gerogina, owned by Mr. Flanz.Ms Thompson had experienced a rough home life and a car accident and a high school friend of hers recommended Flanz's home as a good place to stay, he said.
She got a room upstairs and had been there a few weeks when Keswick resident Shawn Douse, who Mr. Edwards described as a husband, father and drug dealer, arrived at the home. Mr. Flanz was not home at the time.After a confrontation about drugs, Mr. Douse was taken into the basement. Upstairs, Ms Thompson could hear Mr. Douse screaming, Mr. Edwards wrote.
Mr. Douse's body was later found in a north Pickering field.Four men, who Mr. Edwards has described as connected to the Bandidos, including Keswick resident Cameron Acorn, a Bandido, and former Keswick resident Bobby Quinn as well as Randy Brown of Jackson's Point, were later convicted in connection with Mr. Douse's death. An Oakville man was also convicted.Mr. Flanz had nothing to do with the death of Mr. Douse, according to Mr. Edwards.Mr. Flanz's home was simply a "good place to meet", Mr. Edwards said.Mr. Flanz had a good rapport with Ms Thompson, the book states."He was like a big brother," Mr. Edwards said. "(Ms Thompson) was terrified the next day, she listened to the beating, which was really traumatic and then the next morning she has to clean up the blood. Her reaction was more emotional more than anything else. There was also a real fear for her life ... that she's a witness and not really part of the group."In the book, Mr. Edwards thanks Mr. Douse's father for reminding him of the human toll the murder took.
Meanwhile, Mr. Edwards said Mr. Sinopoli weighed several hundred pounds and constantly fretted about his health. Mr. Edwards describes Mr. Sinopoli, a former security guard, as having "dabbled in selling drugs".However, he was well like, Mr. Edwards said.While acknowledging the men were outlaws, Mr. Edwards said it was important to show that they were also people."A lot of them are like people we went to high school with," he said. "They might not have been on the honour roll but they were still human. A lot of them, if they stayed around a little bit longer, they probably would have floated out of it. Sometimes it's the situation that makes people the way they are."
York Regional Police is monitoring the activities of outlaw biker groups in the region, investigative services Insp. Richard Crabtree said.Today, there are two outlaw biker clubhouses in York, including one in Keswick and one in King Township, York police said.Meanwhile, Mr. Edwards also writes about Francesco "Cisco" Lenti, a Vaughan man who court records show was the subject of a Hells Angels plot to curb his attempts at Bandidos expansion. In 2008, Mr. Lenti pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of David John "Dread" Buchanan the sergeant at arms for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club West Toronto chapter and aggravated assault for the wounding of another Hells Angel and a then-prospect member of the club. The shooting took place at a Vaughan club."He's what someone would call a one-percenter's one-percenter," Mr. Edwards said of Mr. Lenti, referring to the term by which some motorcycle riders identify themselves or are identified as being outlaws."If Lenti had been listened to, the massacre probably wouldn't have happened," Mr. Edwards said. "Lenti had a really strong, uneasy feeling about Sandham. There was something in his antennae about Sandham that he didn't trust."Mr. Edwards said he finds it unlikely that the Bandidos will make a push to expand into Ontario again soon. According to Mr. Edwards, the club is headquartered in the United States.
"The best of them were murdered and the worst of them went to prison for the murders," he said

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Sylvain Boulanger openly described to Police how he had murdered someone

Sylvain Boulanger was also granted immunity from prosecution, despite admitting to Police that he'd actually murdered someone himself. His defection from the notorious biker gang led to more than 150 arrests during Operation SharQc in 2009.The three-year operation saw Boulanger, an Angels member for over 20 years, spill the beans over murders, attempted murders and other crimes committed by his former associates.
Boulanger openly described to Police how he had murdered someone:
"The door was open, I come up on the side and I shoot. I hear 'Ow! Ow! Ow!' I see him there and in my head, he's dead. So I get out of there running," he told police in a videotaped conversation obtained by Radio-Canada.Boulanger initially asked for over £5 million but the request was turned down.

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Warlocks motorcycle gang Arrested a Ukrainian national, Serhiy Hudz, on parole violations

Arrested a Ukrainian national, Serhiy Hudz, on parole violations. Hudz, a legal resident, is a member of the Warlocks motorcycle gang whose rap sheet includes murder, aggravated assault, theft, receiving stolen property and driving under the influence, according to ICE.

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Lea Sheppe, 58, was scheduled to be tried in B.C. Supreme court

Lea Sheppe, 58, was scheduled to be tried in B.C. Supreme court this week, but instead entered a guilty plea to a single count of forcible confinement.On Wednesday, Dean Curtis Madill, 53, entered a guilty plea related to the same events. The incident arose early in 2008 when Sheppe learned that his son's motorcycle was missing. Sheppe and Madill later found the man they thought was responsible.While Sheppe and Madill initially forced the man into a vehicle and took him to a home where he was assaulted in March 2008, Sheppe was not present in May when Madill again confronted the man. At that time, Madill hit the man and caused a serious head injury. Madill was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day on a charge aggravated assault.

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Walter Stadnick, 51, of Hamilton, and Donald Stockford, 42, of Ancaster, were convicted

Walter Stadnick, 51, of Hamilton, and Donald Stockford, 42, of Ancaster, were convicted in June 2004 on five charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and gangsterism. Stadnick was earlier acquitted of 13 first-degree murder charges and three counts of attempted murder. The pair launched a request to appeal questioning language used in Crown disclosure and the consistency of statements provided by some witnesses at their trial.On Monday, the Court of Appeal of Quebec dismissed their request.In September 2004, the pair sat motionless as Quebec Superior Court Justice Jerry Zigman read his sentence for nearly 30 minutesHe called them "hardened criminals who show little or no hope of being able to straighten out their lives and cease participating in criminal activities. "They are violent people who are a danger to society. They have expressed no remorse for their acts."Stadnick and Stockford, who were tried in English, were among the last to face trial of those arrested during a massive Quebec police sweep in 2001.The men were founding members of the Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels in Montreal, which controlled the drug trade and led an eight-year bloody turf war with the rival Rock Machine.Stadnick and Stockford were heavily involved in biker activities in British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario. Stadnick served as national president of the Hells Angels for six years.

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Terrence Tongolini to serve a minimum eight years jail.

A sex predator former Hells Angel who set fire to businesses as part of an extortion racket that left his victims fearing for their lives, has been jailed.Terrence Tognolini used his bikie status to threaten, bully and blackmail businesses who failed to meet his demands, the County Court in Melbourne heard today.
But Tognolini, already behind bars for eight years for offences including drug dealing and a sex attack on a young girl, will serve a concurrent sentence that adds only 18 months' jail time for his campaign of fear and violence.Tognolini ran a hydroponics business and, during his eight-year reign of terror, targeted five hydroponic businesses around Melbourne that were competitors.He threatened violence and arson if they did not stock his items or hand over thousands of dollars in cash.Some properties were set alight in arson attacks and Tognolini told one victim he would "cut his eyes out" and threatened to kill him and his family if he did not meet his demands for money.Many of his victims lived in fear, too scared to go to police for fear of retribution.In October 2009, a County Court jury found Tognolini guilty of nine counts of blackmail, three of arson, one of threatening to damage property and one of indecent assault over the racket.Tognolini - who has 19 prior convictions including for drugs, armed robbery, and carrying a loaded firearm - is already serving a minimum six-and-a-half year jail term for sex offences against teenage girls.The court heard the Hells Angels inked over Tognolini's club tattoos and expelled him when the child sex offences came to lightToday, Judge Lance Pilgrim jailed Tognolini for 12 years, which is to be served concurrently with his existing jail term.The judge set a minimum term of eight years before Tognolini is eligible to apply for parole.
A former member of the Hells Angels, who is also a person of interest in the murder investigation of a Bendigo woman, has been sentenced to 12 years jail for an extortion racket he ran in the mid 1990s.
A Victorian County Court judge ordered Terrence Tongolini to serve a minimum eight years jail.
Police believe the 45-year-old may be linked to the murder of single mother Vicki Jacobs.She was shot dead while sleeping beside her six-year-old son in their Long Gully home in 1999.

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John Virgil Punko, a member of the East End chapter of the notorious motorcycle gang,

Full-patch member of the Hells Angels who pleaded guilty to trafficking in large quantities of drugs should walk free, his lawyer argued Wednesday.In December, John Virgil Punko, a member of the East End chapter of the notorious motorcycle gang, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in 50 kilograms of methamphetamines and five kilograms of cocaine.Prosecutors argued that Punko should be jailed for 16 years, reduced to 13 years, five months after calculating so-called dead time, or pre-sentencing custody.
But on Wednesday, Punko's lawyer told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask that a significant mitigating factor was that Punko was enticed into his drug dealing by the RCMP and their police agent Michael Plante.
Richard Cairns told the judge that even before Plante became a police agent who was offered up to $1 million to infiltrate the club, as a police informant Plante had been providing Punko with the narcotic painkiller Percocet, fuelling his drug addiction and making him delusional and paranoid.Cairns admitted that Punko was a willing participant and an equal partner to Plante."He took to it like a duck to water. He succumbed to his greed."Cairns said without the behaviour of Plante and the police, Punko should be sentenced to four and a half years in jail, leaving him with two years in prison after dead time.But he said considering the actions of Plante and the police,a lesser sentence is called for."What you're saying is that I should start with the four and a half years and subtract a number that reflects the court's weighing of the behaviour of Plante?" asked Leask."That's exactly right," said Cairns. "In our submission, that could amount to a significant reduction, such that Mr. Punko would walk out of the door."Prosecutor Martha Devlin disputed Cairns' characterization of the accused's state of mind and argued that the court should call Punko to testify.
Cairns said he was opposed to such a move and the judge adjourned the sentencing hearing until Monday to hear more arguments on the issue.John Virgil Punko, 43, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to produce and traffic methamphetamine, trafficking five kilograms of cocaine in 2004 and possessing $387,140 cash that was the proceeds of crime, including $142,500 from the sale of cocaine.Prosecutor Martha Devlin told the court that Punko should be given 30 months of credit for 15 months served in pre-trial custody, which would reduce the Crown's requested sentence to slightly more than 13 years.The sentencing hearing before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask is set for all this week. The defence is scheduled to make its sentencing submissions WednesdayCo-accused Randy Potts, 49, who is also a member of the East End chapter of the Hells Angels, is set to be sentenced starting next Monday at the Vancouver Law Courts.The charges against the bikers stem from a $10-million police investigation known as Project E-Pandora that targeted the East End Hells Angels.The two-year investigation, which ended in 2005 with the arrest of more than six Hells Angels in B.C. and a dozen associates, utilized a police agent named Michael Plante, who was promised $1 million to infiltrate the biker club.Plante secretly tape recorded conversations between Punko, Potts and a meth lab cook named Ryan Renaud, whom Punko suspected was also working for the UN gang and its boss Clay Roueche.
The methamphetamine was sold for $13,000 a kilogram. Plante and Punko often had discussions about "cooking" meth and distributing it at a number of locations, Plante and Punko went to various locations in Punko's vehicle including a 7-11 store, Fitness Quest gym and a White Spot restaurant in New Westminster.Punko was earlier convicted of threatening a prosecutor in another Hells Angels case.
Last summer, a jury convicted Punko, Potts and two other Hells Angels members of weapons offences and extortion.In that case, Punko was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol and sentenced to 15 months in jail, plus a consecutive sentence of four years for counselling a police agent to do damage to a Surrey home where Punko was trying to collect a large sum of money from a man.It was effectively a sentence of time served but Punko was denied bail by Leask before sentencing.
Punko has been in custody since he was arrested in July 2005 during the RCMP's Project E-Pandora investigation into the East End chapter.Last year he was sentenced effectively to time served after a jury found him guilty of weapons offences. Randy Potts, one of his co-accused in the gun case, also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking. His sentencing hearing is expected to proceed on Tuesday

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Eight suspected Hells Angels members allegedly involved in drug trafficking and intimidation have been arrested in eastern Ontario.

They are suspected of being connected to the Ontario Nomads branch of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, and were arrested between Jan. 14 and 18. One warrant remains outstanding.The arrests were the result of an investigation involving the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP and several local police forces in the region, said an OPP news release Wednesday. Investigators said the operation was launched in August 2007 after police in the area received complaints about drug trafficking and intimidation.The nine people, including one person who is not in custody, are facing a total of 302 charges related to drugs, weapons, assaults and gang activity.“We’ve got some fully automatic weapons with silencers, brass knuckles, a large amount of jewelry with the insignia of the Hells Angels,” said Det. Pat Benoit, of the Kingston Police, who worked on the case.As part of the investigation, police conducted searches and seized an estimated $249,000 worth of cocaine, cannabis resin and marijuana, and cash totalling $53,000. They also seized a sawed-off shotgun, a machine-gun with silencer and nine handguns.Investigators said they also impounded numerous vehicles, including cars, boats, ATVs and two Harley-Davidson motorcycles.An arrest warrant is still outstanding for Conklin.Those charged include eight men and one woman. The following people have been charged:

Tracy Anne O’Neil, 26, of Brockville.

Ian Conklin, 45, of North Augusta Township.

Blaine Donner, 37, of Brockville.

Craig Haines, 29, of Ottawa.

Jameson Murray, 22, of Ottawa.

Dwayne William Brugma, 26, of Brockville.

Lloyd Macdonald, 39, of Ottawa.

Ryan Albert Morton, 26, of Lansdowne.

Mario Sincennes, 45, of Ottawa.

An arrest warrant is still outstanding for Conklin.

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Robert Martin, 36 one of the top-10 most sought criminals in the province, facing 22 counts of various criminal charges.

Two members of the Hells Angels wanted by Quebec police were picked up in Mexico, where authorities say they were hiding out. Robert Martin, 36, was considered by the RCMP and Surete du Quebec (SQ) as one of the top-10 most sought criminals in the province, facing 22 counts of various criminal charges.
Yannick Gauthier, 36, faces at least one charge of racketeering. Arrest warrants were issued against Robert and Gauthier last April, following operation SharQc, which brought together investigators from the RCMP, the SQ and the Montreal Police. Police would not elaborate on the circumstances of the arrest of two individuals. The two men arrived from Mexico on Saturday evening at Dorval Airport. So far, more than 120 outlaw bikers have been arrested in the SharQc operation. About 20 more are still sought. Police believe some are in Quebec, while others are hiding in Mexico or other countries.

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John Virgil Punko, 43, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to produce and traffic methamphetamine, trafficking drugs and possessing cash that was the proceeds of crime.

John Virgil Punko, 43, pleaded guilty last month to conspiring to produce and traffic methamphetamine, trafficking drugs and possessing cash that was the proceeds of crime.Prosecutor Martha Devlin told the court that Punko should be given 30 months credit for time served in pre-trial custody, which would reduce the Crown requested sentence to slightly more than 13 years.The sentencing hearing before B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask is set for all this week.
Co-accused Randy Potts, who is also a member of the East End chapter of the Hells Angels, is set to be sentenced next week.The charges against the bikers stem from a $10-million police investigation that targetted the East End Hells Angels, which ended in 2005 with the arrest of more than six Hells Angels in B.C. and a dozen alleged associates.The police investigation utlilized a police agent, Michael Plant, who was promised $1 million to infiltrate the biker club, wear a secret listening device and gather evidence.Punko was earlier convicted of threatening a prosecutor in another Hells Angels case.Last summer, a jury convicted Punko, Potts and two other Hells Angels members of weapons ofences and extortion.In that case, Punko was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol and sentenced to 15 months in jail, plus a consecutive sentence of four years for counselling a police agent to do damage to a Surrey home where Punko was trying to collect a large amount of money from a man.It was effectively a sentence of time served but Punko was recently denied bail by Leask before sentencing.Potts, who is free on bail before sentencing, is attending Punko’s sentencing.

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Mother of the Hells Angels bikie Peter Zervas has taken back $20,000 in cash she had provided to keep her son out of jail

Mother of the Hells Angels bikie Peter Zervas has taken back $20,000 in cash she had provided to keep her son out of jail after he was charged last week with threatening her and damaging property at the family's unit in Lakemba.Yesterday Fredericka Bromwich asked Central Local Court to recover the money she had provided to ensure her son's freedom as he faces charges of riot and affray in relation to a brawl between members of two rival bikie gangs at the domestic terminal of Sydney Airport in March.Her youngest son, Anthony, was killed in the melee after he was allegedly hit in the head with a steel post. Eleven Commanchero have been charged with his murder.Police allege that Mr Zervas, who was shot five times as he returned home days after the brawl, destroyed or damaged hundreds of dollars of his mother's property, including six ceramic plates and a glass dinner table, nine days ago.The next day police charged him with stalking, intimidating and intending to cause his mother physical or emotional harm. He was also charged with possessing ecstasy and 46 tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax.Mr Zervas faced Burwood Local Court last week charged with the offences and was granted bail. But on Wednesday he was arrested and taken into custody by police after his mother indicated that she wanted to withdraw her financial support.The court had previously required that Mr Zervas live at the Lakemba unit, but that condition was deleted.

Yesterday the magistrate Jane Culver added a further condition to his bail: that he not contact or approach his mother or go within 100 metres of her property.A family friend later provided security and Mr Zervas walked free from the court yesterday afternoon. The case will resume on March 18.

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Topdogz gang was formed over the course of last year and consists of ninety criminals from around the country. It is led by a 43-year-old former Hells Angels member.

Six suspected gang members were arrested on Wednesday as police in southern Sweden seized weapons and explosives in a sting operation targeting the Topdogz criminal organization, local newspaper Sydsvenskan reports. The first three arrests came at four o'clock on Wednesday morning when police stopped a vehicle near Harlösa, 40 kilometres north east of Malmö, where the gang is believed to have access to premises. "We found several weapons, ammunition and something that appeared to be explosives," police investigator Per Wejsfelt told news agency TT. The weapons seized included shotguns, pistols and revolvers. Police have sent in the suspected explosive substance for forensic analysis. Details remain scarce about three further arrests in the area on Wednesday evening that also led to weapons seizures. Bravo, the Skåne region's anti-organized crime unit, followed up Wednesday's operation with nighttime raids on addresses connected to the detained suspects, resulting in the recovery of stolen goods "of considerable worth". The Topdogz gang was formed over the course of last year and consists of ninety criminals from around the country. It is led by a 43-year-old former Hells Angels member.



The group denies police suspicions that it functions as the Hells Angels' "war machine" in Sweden, ready to fight side by side with the larger group in the case of conflicts with other gangs, Sydsvenskan reports.

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Hells Angel associate, now aged 43, was sentenced to 14 yearsimprisonment

Hells Angel associate, now aged 43, was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment in 2001 for the sickening attack a year earlier plus representative charges for violating a 13-year-old boy in a similar manner in 1991.
Under legislation at the time of his sentencing, the heavily tattooed sex offender must be released after two-thirds of his sentence ? meaning he is to be freed by January 5, 2010 at the latest. But the Department of Corrections has taken the rare step of applying for an order under Section 107 of the Parole Act 2002, to keep him in jail. The section can only be enforced if the Parole Board has sufficient evidence an offender is likely to commit a "specific" offence between release and the end of their sentence.

A hearing will take place later this week ? two months since the Parole Board imposed eight conditions relating to his release. They included he undertake, and complete, a raft of counselling programmes and treatment. Campbell was also banned from making contact with his victims, having contact with anyone aged 16 years or younger unless with approved supervision and possessing or consuming alcohol. During his 2001 trial in the Auckland High Court, Campbell was described by Detective Sergeant Adam Lough, officer in charge of the case, as a "calculating, manipulative sexual deviant who preys on teenage boys from single-parent families". In 2000, Campbell held the 14-year-old boy captive in a wardrobe and performed a series of indecencies on him after telling him he had nominated him for the Hells Angels, and that the boy would have to disappear for several months in a bid to secure his gang patch. The boy was then plied with booze, before Campbell initially made him perform oral sex on him and then sodomised him. The abuse continued when he pierced the boy's scrotum, inserting two rings. A day later Campbell forced his victim to strip naked, and tattooed him with a brickwork design from his groin to his buttocks using a home-made tattoo gun. The boy was then restrained in the wardrobe of Campbell's house in the North Shore suburb of Beach Haven, using shackles and chains. He was repeatedly beaten, had hot wax poured over his body and was again sodomised. The next day he was tied to a bed with chains, rolled onto his stomach, and branded on his lower back, causing second-degree burns. The boy escaped after being able to phone his family when Campbell left the house. Campbell was also found guilty of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy over a two-and-a-half month period in 1991. Shortly after he abused his first victim, Campbell moved to Australia and went on a fire-lighting spree which included the destruction of the central business centre of Beaudesert, west of the Gold Coast. In 1996 he was sentenced to nine years' jail for arson.

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full-patch Hells Angels are Alan Peter Knapczyk, 35, and John Reginald Alcantara, 37, and the head of the Fort McMurray drug gang is Jeffrey Mark Caines, 36,

 full-patch Hells Angels are Alan Peter Knapczyk, 35, and John Reginald Alcantara, 37, and the head of the Fort McMurray drug gang is Jeffrey Mark Caines, 36, who earlier pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, but is currently disputing certain parts of an agreed statement of facts.Alcantara – who was handed a 14-year prison sentence last Friday after being convicted of conspiring to traffic cocaine – today pleaded guilty to an identical charge.He admitted he had entered into an agreement to assist Caines traffic cocaine in Fort McMurray, but said he is not accepting that Knapczyk was part of it.Alcantara pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking cocaine and committing an offence in association with a criminal organization while Knapczyk entered not guilty pleas to all three charges.Prosecutor Dennis Hrabcak told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Sheila Greckol the Crown theory is that Alcantara and Knapczyk conspired with Caines to traffic cocaine in the Fort McMurray area at a kilo and multi-kilo level.Hrabcak said Caines was the head of a criminal organization that bought and sold cocaine using a network of suppliers, distributors and couriers that he had set up.He told the judge Caines made a 2005 agreement with members of the Hells Angels Nomad chapter and said Alcantara and Knapczyk eventually took over the agreement after a disagreement between the Edmonton Hells Angels and the Nomads over control of the agreement.Court heard the agreement involved the removal of any rivals of Caines’ drug gang, ensuring other suppliers in the area did not undercut his business and the protection of Caines and his distributors for a weekly fee of $20,000.

“Essentially it gave Caines free rein to supply cocaine in the specified area and protection for those he supplied,” said Hrabcak. “In return he paid a fee or tax to the individuals. The reputation of the Hells Angels was used to enforce the agreement.”

The prosecutor alleged Alcantara, who was then a prospect for the Hells Angels and sponsored by Knapczyk, was the front man in the agreement and collected the weekly fee while Knapczyk was the enforcer behind the scenes.Court heard the evidence in the case will come from intercepted communications from a police wiretap operation, cocaine seizures, surveillance from police investigators and both civilian and expert witnesses.The trio were part of a large group of drug dealers taken down in a 23-month joint investigation by various Canadian police agencies .

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Two members of the Hells Angels pleaded guilty Monday morning to cocaine trafficking and conspiring to produce methamphetamine

Two  members of the Hells Angels pleaded guilty Monday morning to cocaine trafficking and conspiring to produce methamphetamine.The Crown has set aside two weeks in January for the sentencing hearings of John Virgil Punko and Randy Potts, who were arrested four years ago as part of a $10-million police investigation that targeted the East End Hells Angels."For this I'd sit on Christmas Day," said B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask.Punko will be sentenced Jan. 18 and Potts will be sentenced Jan. 25.
In July, a B.C. Supreme Court jury convicted the two full-patch gang members of weapons offences but found them not guilty of committing the crimes for a criminal gang.Last month, Leask ruled that the men would not be tried on charges of production and distribution of methamphetamines for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization.

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Christopher Brisson was cited for contempt of court Wednesday after refusing to testify earlier in the week against two longtime Hells Angels accused of violently attacking him

Christopher Brisson was cited for contempt of court Wednesday after refusing to testify earlier in the week against two longtime Hells Angels accused of violently attacking him. The move prompted prosecutors to drop charges against the gang associates.Brisson is expected to be sentenced Thursday morning. Queen's Bench Justice Shawn Greenberg said she couldn't ignore the major impact unco-operative victims and witnesses can have on the justice system.However, the judge has inquired whether the Crown has a policy when prosecuting contempt cases against alleged victims of crime.Brisson was allegedly beaten with a hammer and threatened with a gun during a December 2006 incident. He gave a statement to police and previously testified at a preliminary hearing, which resulted in Sean Wolfe and Corey MacInnis being ordered to stand trial.Brisson is behind bars awaiting sentencing next week for a home invasion. He refused to come out of his jail cell Tuesday and had to be forcibly brought to court under judge's orders. Brisson then refused to be sworn in or answer any questions when placed in the witness box.

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Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and the Vagos Motorcycle Club harassing bikers in Kingman

Arizona Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission (G.II.T.E.M. - pronounced Git-em) finally announced why it had been harassing bikers in Kingman, Arizona for the last six months. And, the Kingman Police Chief suggested there may be more harassment to come.The Gang Task Force claims it was only trying squash a ongoing “power struggle” between the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and the Vagos Motorcycle Club. Last August a Kingman police spokesman named Bob Fisk told the Kingman Daily Miner “that bikers aren’t particularly a problem in Kingman, but he’s worried that if police aren’t on top of the situation, the problems with riders in Bullhead City could spread to Kingman.”The “problems with riders in Bullhead City” was a fight June 11 at Lazy Harry’s Sunshine Saloon in Bullhead City. According to police, five Hells Angels and two Desert Road Riders attacked two Vagos. Last week a Gang Task Force spokesman named Ernie Severson explained that the fight put about a hundred other customers in the bar “at risk.”“Two females climbed over a railing and contemplated jumping down 20 to 30 feet to get away, if that tells you what it was like,” Severson said.After a six-month-long investigation by the Gang Task Force, Coconino, Yavapai and Mohave County Sheriffs and Kingman, Flagstaff, Lake Havasu and Bullhead City Police the fight at Lazy Harry’s was legally redefined and seven men were arrested last Wednesday for felony riot. Search warrants executed at the time of the arrests indicate the seven men may also be charged with “participation in a criminal street gang.” Police called the raids “Operation Quiet Riot.”The men arrested last week were: George Edward “Joby” Walters of Douglas, Arizona; Rudolfo John “Rudy” Martinez and Gerald Roy Smith of Rimrock, Arizona; Dale Leroy Hormuth and James “Stoney” Snider of Kingman; Stephen Michael Helland of Golden Valley, Arizona; and Clifford Daniel “Dan Da Man” Balentine of Bullhead City. Balentine is alleged to be a member of the Devils Disciples. Snider has been identified as a member of the Desert Road Riders. According to police, the other men are Hells Angels.An eighth man, John Ross Pemberton of Prescott Valley, was arrested and released for possession of prescription drugs without a valid prescription. Pemberton’s home was also searched for evidence of “criminal street gang activity.” Pemberton is reportedly a member of the Arizona Nomads of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
All eight “raids” were effected in the blackest hour before dawn by police dressed like soldiers. Video released by the Arizona Department of Public Safety shows the cops arriving in multiple armored vehicles. All of the arresting officers wore body armor, Fritz helmets, fanny packs, canteens, and appeared to carry a basic load of approximately 900 rounds each.After the raids, Kingman Police Chief Robert DeVries warned that Operation Quiet Riot did not necessarily mark the end of harassment of bikers by police. DeVries said the police harassment was justified because “members of the public” were being harassed and intimidated by bikers.Last week, Bullhead City Police Chief Rodney Head said his intelligence indicates that there are about 20 Vagos and about six Hells Angels in Mohave County, Arizona.

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Gypsy Joker Lennard Mark Kirby is believed to have been shot up to three times in the chest and stomach after the shootout

Two bikies injured in shootout Refuse to let doctors remove bullets Decision might hinder investigation

TWO bikies injured in a shootout refused to allow doctors to removed the bullets from their bodies - a move police believe was a calculated attempt to hinder their investigation.Gypsy Joker Lennard Mark Kirby is believed to have been shot up to three times in the chest and stomach after the shootout on May 18. His bikie associate Alexandro John Scilio was shot once in the arm.Assistant Commissioner Wayne Gregson said investigators were aware that the bullets had not been removed by medical staff and remained inside the two men, PerthNow reports.Mr Gregson said police had applied for a search warrant to seize the bullets once they were removed during surgery, but the men refused to allow doctors to extract them.





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"We have no powers to conduct intrusive surgery to get exhibits," Mr Gregson told PerthNow this morning.



But Mr Gregson said the fact that police did not have the bullets to conduct ballistic examinations would not hamper the police investigation.

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48-year-old gang member from Wanganui has been charged with possession of cannabis

48-year-old gang member from Wanganui has been charged with possession of cannabis and a 41-year-old gang member from Wanganui has been charged with threatening to kill.Both men are due to appear at the Wanganui District Court on December 1.Police spokesperson Kim Perks said the raid began just before 7am when members of the Armed Offenders Squad entered the three-storey building and compound on Kaikokopu Rd."When police first arrived at the location there were three men inside the premises and entry was gained without incident."Around 35 police officers from Wanganui and Palmerston North were involved in the raid.Ms Perks said a small amount of cannabis was found at the address."Once the premises were cleared and secured, teams of police officers joined the operation to search the building and grounds, a process that took a number of hours."Ms Perks said the examination of the scene was wrapped up in the early afternoon.She said during the raid police used "distraction devices" which may have sounded in neighbouring houses like gunfire. Ms Perks said the raid followed an aggravated burglary at an address in Wanganui on October 3."During this incident a woman was assaulted and property including licensed firearms were stolen."All parties involved in that incident are believed to be known to one another."Ms Perks said a 32-year-old man from Wanganui has been charged in connection with the burglary and is currently remanded on 13 charges including threats to kill, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and commission of a crime with a firearm.A 33-year-old woman from Wanganui was also charged with accessory after the fact in the relation to the aggravated burglary. She is currently on bail.Both are due to appear in the Wanganui District Court on December 7.Ms Perks said a vehicle connected with the aggravated burglary was also recovered during yesterday's operation, although it was not found at the Kaikokopu Rd address.

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