Hell's Angels President And 9 Other Biker Criminals Arrested On Cocaine Charges
Ninth Commandment
Mon Jan 24, 6:20 PM ET
CAMILLE BAINS
VANCOUVER (CP) - The Mounties have arrested the leaders of two outlaw
biker gangs and eight of their associates in hopes of making a major
dent in British Columbia's illegal drug trade.
All 10 men made their first court appearance Monday. They include
Norman Krogstad, president of the Vancouver chapter of the Hells
Angels, who faces 14 counts of trafficking in cocaine. Three of
Krogstad's associates were also charged with trafficking in marijuana
and cocaine.
Members of the Prince George Renegades, a spinoff gang of the Angels
in northern British Columbia, were also charged.
William Moore, president of the Renegades, faces three counts of
trafficking in cocaine, while three of his six associates have been
charged with drug and firearms offences.
"This is a tremendous victory for the police in British Columbia,"
said Sgt. Dave Goddard of the RCMP's Greater Vancouver Drug Section at
a news conference Monday.
"It will certainly have a significant impact on the way they conduct
their business," he said of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
The Mounties' 20-month investigation included an agent who infiltrated
both gangs.
Police seized $100,000 in cash, 11 kilograms of marijuana, 14
kilograms of cocaine and several restricted and prohibited weapons
that included an AK-47 assault rifle.
"This intelligence-led, provincial investigation has successfully
stopped these organized crime groups from trafficking enormous amounts
of illegal drugs in communities across this province," Goddard said.
"Organized crime will not profit, nor will our citizens be at
additional risk from the effects, side effects and consequences of
taking the dangerous and illegal drugs contained in these major
seizures."
News of the arrests came on the same day the Liberal government
announced the addition of 215 new police officers around the province
this year and an injection of $122 million for policing, courts and
corrections.
Goddard said the extra resources will help deal with the chronic
problem of understaffing.
"If the province is indeed putting more manpower and resources into
it, it should have a significant effect on the other end and I'm sure
that we'll see more of these investigations being conducted in the
province."
Derek Timmins, Darrin Massey and George McBeth of Prince George face
multiple firearms charges while Jason Townsend and David Gerow are
charged with one count each of trafficking in cocaine.
Hells Angels member Cedric Smith faces 11 counts of trafficking in
cocaine and Jason Arkinstall is charged with one count of trafficking
in the same drug.
David O'Hara, a former member of the Hells Angels and member of the
Mission City chapter of the gang, faces three counts of trafficking in
marijuana and one count of trafficking in cocaine.
Goddard said more arrests may still be made.
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Happy Hunting RCMP!!
Ninth Commandment
Vancouver chapter head, 9 others charged in largest ever gang probe
Neal Hall and Chad Skelton
Vancouver Sun
January 25, 2005
The president of the Vancouver chapter of the Hells Angels is among 10
men charged with trafficking cocaine and illegal guns in what police
said Monday is the largest investigation of biker gangs in B.C.
history.
Those charged include six men allegedly connected to an outlaw
motorcycle gang in Prince George called the Renegades, which police
describe as a puppet club of the Hells Angels.
Police said the investigation lasted 20 months and included an
undercover operation and more than 100 officers.
"This is clearly breaking new ground to sustain an investigation of
this magnitude for this long," said Insp. Andy Richards, a biker-gang
expert with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.
"Never before have this many Hells Angels and associates been arrested
in an investigation."
The investigation resulted in charges against Hells Angels Vancouver
chapter president Norman Edward Krogstad -- the highest-ranking member
of the Angels ever to face criminal charges in B.C.
"It's a wake-up call," said Insp. Bob Paulson, a biker-gang expert
with the RCMP. "What it shows is that they're not untouchable.... They
can be had [and] they will be had."
Krogstad, 57, of Surrey, is charged with 14 counts of trafficking
cocaine in Langley, Cache Creek, Boston Bar and Prince George between
July 3, 2003 and Dec. 29, 2004.
Other Lower Mainland residents charged were Cedric Smith, 55, of
Langley, described by police as a senior member of the Vancouver
chapter of the Hells Angels, and David Patrick O'Hara, 43, of Surrey.
Smith is co-accused with Krogstad on 11 counts of trafficking cocaine.
O'Hara, a former member of the Vancouver chapter but a member of the
Mission chapter at the time of the alleged offences, is charged with
three counts of trafficking in marijuana and one count of trafficking
cocaine in Surrey.
Another Lower Mainland resident, Jason Cyrus Arkinstall, 31, of
Surrey, is charged with one count of trafficking in cocaine in Surrey.
William John Moore, 35, the alleged president of the Prince George
Renegades, is co-accused with Krogstad with three counts of
trafficking in cocaine in Prince George.
David George Gerow, 45, the former sergeant-at-arms of the Renegades
and a member at the time of the alleged offence, is charged with one
count of trafficking in cocaine.
Jason Dennis Townsend, 27, another Renegades member, is charged with
one count of trafficking in cocaine.
Three other Prince George men -- Darrin Allan Massey, George James
McBeth and Derek Charles Timmins -- have been charged in a seven-count
indictment with possessing and trafficking in prohibited weapons.
Police allege Timmins, 32, is a striker for the Renegades, meaning he
has not become a full-patch member. He is charged with five firearms
offences.
Massey, 34, a former Renegades member, is charged with five firearms
offences, and McBeth, 36, an alleged associate, is charged with six
firearms offences.
During the operation, police seized $100,000 in cash, 11.3 kilograms
of marijuana, 14 kilograms of cocaine, and a number of restricted and
prohibited weapons, including four semi-automatic handguns, a
sawed-off shotgun, a fully automatic AK-47 assault rifle and a large
assortment of prohibited munitions.
Police also recovered in the Kamloops area three John Deere
golf-course lawn tractors valued at more than $100,000 that were
stolen from Prince George in 2003.
The investigation began in May 2003 after investigators in Prince
George identified a person who was willing to infiltrate biker gangs
in both Prince George and Vancouver.
In the past, police have had little luck in recruiting gang members to
testify against each other.
Paulson said he hopes this investigation will be just the first case
of police turning biker-gang members against each other.
"We're recruiting them to go against themselves," said Paulson.
"There's plenty of room in the witness-protection program and that's
what we're using."
The investigation into the bikers was led by the RCMP's Greater
Vancouver Drug Section.
Drug Section Sgt. Dave Goddard said the large number of Angels members
and associates arrested makes it difficult for the organization to
claim -- as it has in the past -- that it is simply a motorcycle club.
"It will make people think twice about what the Hells Angels are
really all about," he said.
Richards said the arrests reflect a new commitment to fighting biker
gangs by police forces in the province.
"There's a greater level of cooperation between law-enforcement
agencies in the province now to target [biker gangs] and I think this
[case] is in part a reflection of that enhanced cooperation and
integration of resources," said Richards.
All 10 men appeared in court Monday before B.C. Supreme Court
Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm.
The six men in Prince George appeared by video-conferencing. All wore
red, jail-issue clothing and all but one had close-cropped hair and
beards.
The four Vancouver-area accused appeared in person at the
high-security Air India courtroom at the Vancouver Law Courts.
Of the 10, only McBeth was granted bail. That came with strict
conditions: that he continue to live at 2413 Lisgar in Prince George,
that he post a $5,000 surety, that he not possess firearms or
ammunition, that he surrender his passport and that he have no contact
with the co-accused Massey and Timmins.
Federal prosecutor Martha Devlin appeared in court to handle the drug
charges and provincial prosecutor Mark Levitz, in charge of
organized-crime prosecutions, is handling the firearms charges.
Krogstad, who has hired Vancouver defence lawyer Ken Westlake, will
appear at a bail hearing scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 4 along with his
co-accused, Smith, who has hired David Martin to represent him.
Westlake is also representing Arkinstall, who came to court wearing a
black T-shirt with "fcuk" on the back. His bail hearing is scheduled
for Friday at 2 p.m. with co-accused O'Hara, who is represented by
defence lawyer Greg DelBigio.
The remaining Prince George accused are scheduled for bail hearings at
9:30 a.m. Friday by video-conference.
Last fall, The Vancouver Sun reported that more than 30 criminal
prosecutions launched against members of the Hells Angels in B.C. over
the past decade have failed, ending in acquittals or the charges being
stayed by the Crown.
In fact, prosecutors failed to secure convictions against club members
in more than 60 per cent of the cases reviewed by The Sun -- including
allegations of drug trafficking, extortion and even assaults against
police officers.
On Monday, police said they were confident these latest charges will
be successful.
"That's always the ultimate test -- to see if the courts accept the
evidence that we've gathered," said Richards. "Based on what I know
about this specific case, I'm optimistic."
Goddard said one indication of the strength of the case is that all
the accused were charged by direct indictment -- a rare measure used
by the Crown to send cases directly to trial without a preliminary
hearing.
"The very fact that we got the direct indictments should give an
indication that, not only are the police taking this seriously, but so
are the provincial and federal prosecutors," he said.
BACKGROUNDS OF THE ACCUSED:
According to court records, on June 3, 2004, charges of extortion,
assault causing bodily harm and assault with a weapon against David
Patrick O'Hara were stayed by the Crown.
David George Gerow is already facing a number of other criminal
charges:
- Three counts of drug trafficking in Prince George dating back to the
spring and summer of 2004. Gerow is due in court in Prince George on
April 6 to face those charges.
- Charges of assault, uttering threats, mischief and taking or
occupying a vehicle without the owner's consent on Dec. 18, 2004, in
Prince George. He is still awaiting a trial date on those charges.
- Theft over $5,000 in Fort St. John on Jan. 22, 2004. He is due in
court on Wednesday in Fort St. John to fix a date for trial.
On Aug. 30, 2000, Darrin Allan Massey was convicted in Kelowna of
assault causing bodily harm and received a nine-month conditional
sentence.
The next year, on Feb. 27, 2001, Massey was convicted in Kelowna of
possessing drugs for the purposes of trafficking and was sentenced to
six months' jail and two years' probation.
Jason Dennis Townsend pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm in
Prince George on Oct. 24, 2001, and received one day in jail and one
year's probation.
He was also convicted on Sept. 22 of last year of possession of a
controlled substance in Prince George and received a $250 fine.
Townsend is due to appear in court in Prince George on Feb. 15 for
sentencing in connection with an assault on May 28, 2003.
And another trial on charges of production of a controlled substance,
drug possession and possession of stolen property is due to continue
in Prince George on March 18.
Jason Cyrus Arkinstall was convicted in Surrey of assault with a
weapon on Oct. 5, 2001, and sentenced to 50 hours' community service
and a two-year conditional sentence.
A separate trial for drug possession for the purposes of trafficking
and possession of property obtained by crime is due to continue in
Surrey on Feb. 17.
Arkinstall was also convicted in Surrey of mischief on March 9, 1999,
and received a $250 fine and six months' probation.
Barney
writtennews:facbv0dr05dd218oh...@4ax.com:
> B.C. RCMP arrest leaders of outlaw motorcycle gangs in drug bust
>
> Mon Jan 24, 6:20 PM ET
>
> Goddard said more arrests may still be made.
>
This is only a very small tip of the iceberg. Presently I am reading
"Hells on Wheels". All of Canada has been domineered by the biggest
organised crime circut in it's history. Millions of dollars and Hells
Angles in business suits. Canadian law enforcement/politicians has
kept a blind eye and BC the blindest. Enforcement has been denied or
defied when it comes to HA. They have contacts and connections in
legit and illegal activities.
--
Barney __________________________
Talk is cheap! Thats why I can afford it.
Barney
writtennews:Xns95EA9C4A91A74s...@individual.net:
> Ninth Commandment <ninthcom...@judgement.com> had
> writtennews:facbv0dr05dd218oh...@4ax.com:
>
>> B.C. RCMP arrest leaders of outlaw motorcycle gangs in drug bust
>>
>> Mon Jan 24, 6:20 PM ET
>>
>
>> Goddard said more arrests may still be made.
>>
> This is only a very small tip of the iceberg. Presently I am
> reading "Hells on Wheels".
>
Sorry I blew it. The title is now "Road to Hell". Very good research
and about the Hells infiltration into Canada. Staring in Quebec to
Ontario and beyond.
