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Hells Angels MC criminal allegations and incidents in Ontario

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club has been involved in a number of criminal allegations and incidents in Ontario since 2000.

Origins

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In the summer of 2000, the Hells Angels national president Walter Stadnick made an offer to most of the Ontario outlaw biker gangs that was too sweet for them to refuse; namely they could join the Hells Angels "patch for patch", allowing them to enter the Hells Angels with patches equivalent to their current patches.[1] On 29 December 2000, most of the Ontario biker gangs in a mass "patch over" in at the clubhouse of the Hells Angels Montreal chapter in Sorel joined the Hells Angels.[2] In the ceremony in Sorel, 179 bikers from the Satan's Choice, Para-Dice Riders, the Last Chance, the Lobos, the Outlaws and the Rock Machine joined the Hells Angels, making them at one stoke the dominant biker gang in Ontario.[2] The police stated that the Satan's Choice and the Para-Dice Riders were strong biker gangs worthy of joining the Hells Angels, but the Last Chance and the Lobos were "mumblies" (slang for drug addicts who were said to mumble all the time because of their drug-addled state)..[3] Andy Stewart of the Ontario Provancial Police's Anti-Biker Unit said: "They're loyal to each other until they die-and then the next day they're swapping patches with guys who are their sworn enemies. I think it all boils down to money. That's what drives these guys. Why stay with such a small group when you can go to the Hells Angels and become part of an international gang that has contracts all over the world?".[4]

From Satan's Choice, the Hells Angels formed chapters in Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Simcoe County, Kitchener, Oshawa, Keswick and a chapter in Toronto that became the Angels Toronto East chapter.[4] From the Para-Dice Riders, the Hells Angels formed chapters in Woodbridge and a chapter in Toronto that became the Toronto Central chapter.[4] From the Lobos, the Hells Angels formed a chapter in Windsor.[4] From the Last Chance, the Hells Angels formed the Toronto West chapter.[4] And a group of defectors from the Rock Machine and the Outlaws formed the Nomad chapter based in Ottawa.[5] On 12 April 2001, the Hells Angels formed a chapter in London, Ontario headed by the Coates brothers, John and Jimmy.[6] Donny Petersen of the Para-Dice Riders became the Hells Angels national secretary and their chief spokesman.[5] The Hells Angels in Ontario were quickly embraced by the political and business elites of Ontario, best symbolized by an incident on 12 January 2002 when Mel Lastman, the mayor of Toronto gate-clashed a Hells Angels national to thank them for brining so much "business" to Toronto.[7] Standing before a group of journalists, Lastman was photographed shaking hands with a Hells Angel, Tony Biancaflora, while telling the media that the Hells Angels were "a nice bunch of guys".[8]

The most important of the Hells Angels chapters in Ontario were the Downtown Toronto chapter headed by John "Winner" Neal, the former president of the Para-Dice Riders, and the Niagara chapter headed by Gerald Ward,[9] As usual with the Hells Angels, a number of puppet clubs were formed such as the Dogs of War club in Niagara Falls and the Redline Crew in Toronto that did much of the Angels' work for them.[10] Paul Porter. one of the leaders of the Rock Machine, became the president of the Nomad chapter based in Ottawa.[11]

Conflict with the Outlaws

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In June 2001, the Outlaws clubhouse in Woodstock was burned down by the Hells Angels.[6] In July 2001, a Hells Angels "prospect", Douglas "Plug" Johnstone, visited Garry Smith, a car dealer in London, Ontario to demand that he pay $70, 000 in extortion money.[12] When Smith refused, Johnstone returned with Jimmy Coates of the London chapter, to demand that Smith pay the money.[13] During a third visit, Coates told Smith: "We know where you live. We know you have a wife. We know you have a daughter".[12] Along with a third Angel, Thomas Walkinshaw, Coates and Johnstone stormed into Smith's house to demand the money; Smith paid them the $70, 000 and the three Angels were arrested leaving his house with the money.[14] On 7 January 2002, members of the Jackals, a Hells Angels puppet gang, were involved in a shoot-out at the house of an Outlaw in London, Ontario.[15] The Jackals gathered outside of the house of Thomas Hughes, the president of the Outlaws London chapter, leading to a shoot-out that saw a Jackal, Eric Davingnon, shot in the stomach.[14]

Shoot-out on the 401

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On 10 March 2002, two members of the Hells Angels Montreal puppet gang, the Rockers, Daniel Lamer and Marc Bouffard, were stopped by the OPP on the 401 highway just outside of Kingston.[16] Lamar opened fire on the OPP constable, wounding Constable Dan Brisson.[13] A shoot-out followed that saw Lamar shot dead by the OPP.[16] Found inside of the car that Lamer and Bouffard were using were four handguns, a silencer, a balaclava, and pictures of every single Bandido in Ontario.[17]

The Lindsay case

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In September 2004, two Angels, Steven "Tiger" Lindsay and Raymond Bonner, were convicted of extorting $75,000 from a black-market satellite dealer in Barrie.[18] Both Angels had arrived at the man's house wearing their patches while a police bug recorded Lindsay as saying to pay the money or else deal with "five other guys that are fucking the same kind of motherfucker as I am".[19] Justice Micelle Fuerst also convicted the two men of gangsterism, saying "...they presented themselves not as individuals, but as members of a group with a reputation for violence and intimidation. They deliberately invoked their membership in the HAMC with the intent to inspire fear in the victim. They committed extortion with the intent to do so in association with a criminal organization, the HAMC to which they belonged".[19]

Project Tandem

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Steven Gault, the treasurer of the Angels' Oshawa chapter was already a police informer when he joined the Angels in 2000.[20] On the basis of the evidence collected by him, the OPP launched Project Tandem in June 2006 that lead to the arrests of 27 people.[20] The most prominent of the Angels arrested was Ward..[20] Ward was convicted of gangsterism on 25 March 2009 and sentenced to 14 years in prison..[21]

Project Develop

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In 2005, David Atwell, the sergeant-at-arms of the Angels Downtown Toronto chapter, became a police informer.[22] In April 2007, on the basis of the information provided by Atwell, the police charged 31 Hells Angels with 169 criminal charges, plus seized drugs worth $3 million and property worth half-million dollars.[23] At a trial that took place between September 2010 and May 2011 where Atwell was the star witness for the Crown, five Hells Angels including John "Winner" Neal, the president of the Downtown Toronto chapter, were convicted on charges relating to dealing in GHB and cocaine plus possession of illegal weapons, but all of the accused were acquitted on charges of belonging to a criminal organization.[24]

Project Manchester

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On 15 December 2009, the OPP arrested Andre Watteel, the president of the Hells Angels Kitchener chapter and the owner of the Barking Fish Cafe in Cambridge on charges of 28 counts of drug trafficking and 27 counts of the possession of the proceeds of crime.[25] ON 12 January 2011, a in plea bargain with the Crown, Watteel admitted to selling cocaine to an undercover police officer in exchange for the other charges being dropped; Wateel was sentenced to 4 years in prison.[26]

Book

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  • Langton, Jerry (2010). Showdown: How the Outlaws, Hells Angels and Cops Fought for Control of the Streets. Toronto: John Wiley. ISBN 978-0470678787.
  • Langton, Jerry (2015). Cold War How Organized Crime Works in Canad and Why It's About to Get More Violent. Toronto: HarperColllins. ISBN 978-1-4434-3255-9.
  • Sher, Julian; Marsden, William (2003). The Road To Hell How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada. Toronto: Alfred Knopf. ISBN 0-676-97598-4.
  • Sher, Julian; Marsden, William (2006). Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers' Empire of Crime. Toronto: Alfred Knopf Canada. ISBN 9780307370327.

References

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  1. ^ Langton 2010, p. 22.
  2. ^ a b Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 267-268.
  3. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 269.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 270.
  5. ^ a b Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 271.
  6. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 137.
  7. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 271-272.
  8. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 272.
  9. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 274.
  10. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 275.
  11. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 277-278.
  12. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 138.
  13. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 141.
  14. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 139.
  15. ^ Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 280.
  16. ^ a b Sher & Marsden 2003, p. 279.
  17. ^ Langton 2010, p. 142.
  18. ^ Langton 2010, p. 155.
  19. ^ a b Langton 2010, p. 156.
  20. ^ a b c Langton 2010, p. 236.
  21. ^ Langton 2010, p. 238.
  22. ^ Latimer, Joanne (4 April 2007). "How a nice, middle-class boy became a Hells Angel—then an informer". Maclean's. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  23. ^ Lamoureux, Mack (30 March 2017). "The Lonely Life of a Hells Angels Rat". Vice. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  24. ^ Powell, Betsy (23 May 2011). "Hells Angels beat organized crime charges". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  25. ^ Langton 2010, p. 233.
  26. ^ "Hells Angel drug dealer gets 4' years". The Hamiltion Spectaor. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
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