CROWN SKETCHES CASE AGAINST BIKER

Career Criminal Used To Infiltrate Notorious Gang

Manitoba police and justice officials knew they had to get creative to
go after the Hells Angels -- but nobody expected a unique undercover
investigation would pay such dividends, a jury heard Monday as one of
the province's biggest biker trials finally began.

What started with seven specific targets ended with 15 arrests,
several kilograms of seized drugs and countless hours of video and
audio surveillance of drug deals going down.

The first accused to go on trial is full-patch member Ian Grant, who
is facing nine charges including drug trafficking, possession of
proceeds of crime, extortion and participating in a criminal
organization. He has pleaded not guilty.

Two other full-patch members -- including Hells president Ernie Dew --
remain before the courts. Grant wasn't even on the original radar of
police but entered into the picture as the investigation continued and
expanded, court was told.

Crown attorney Chris Mainella spent more than three hours Monday
outlining for jurors every aspect of the case against Grant, which is
expected to last at least two months.

At the heart of the prosecution is career criminal Franco Atanasovic,
who infiltrated the Hells Angels as a covert police agent and was
involved in the many drug deals which went down during the 13-month
probe that ended in February 2006.

Mainella made no secret Monday of the fact Atanasovic is an unreliable
witness who was clearly in business for himself even when working for
the police.

Atanasovic -- apparently not happy with the $525,000 he was paid for
his services -- was caught "skimming" money that police had given him
in order to buy drugs from the various targets.

He then tried to lie to police about what he'd done and was also found
to be carrying on private conversations on cellphones he'd hidden from
his police handlers, said Mainella.

In one case, Atanasovic got his teenaged son to meet him in the
bathroom of a Winnipeg fast-food restaurant and then slipped him
$5,000 in marked bills which police had given him for an upcoming
purchase, court was told.

Atanasovic and his son are expected to testify later this month.
Mainella told jurors the Crown isn't concerned about his lack of
credibility because of the fact much of his testimony will be
supported by independent evidence.

That evidence will include heated phone conversations between Grant
and Atanasovic which the Crown says will prove the biker was trying to
extort $60,000 from him.

In the end, Grant was given a Harley Davidson motorcycle from the
agent which forms the basis of the proceeds of crime charge, court was
told.

Police also searched a safety deposit box registered to Grant and
recovered some of the marked money Atanasovic used to buy a kilogram
of cocaine and methamphetamine from two men who were allegedly
couriers for Grant.

At no point is Grant directly seen or heard to be selling drugs to the
agent but the Crown intends to follow the money trail and prove his
guilt, court was told.

RCMP Insp. Dennis McGuffin was the first witness to testify and
outlined how the investigation began with an idea to go after the
Hells Angels.

Police quickly realized they couldn't use conventional tactics or even
send an undercover officer in to infiltrate the tight-knit outlaw
gang, he said.

"To try to become trusted within a criminal organization could take
several years. People deal with who they're familiar with and who
they're comfortable with," said McGuffin.

That's why Atanasovic made the perfect bait. He had known Dew for
years and was familiar with most of his targets through his work as a
drug dealer, he said.

"People will do a lot of things for half a million dollars. But this
is something not a lot of people would do, or could do," Mainella said
during his opening statement.

"But police knew the agent had a lot of connections in the drug
underworld."

Police drafted a comprehensive plan of attack and got a team of
officers together to oversee the daily operations of the
investigation.

Atanasovic was given several "cover stories" to present to his various
targets, which included needing cocaine from some dealers in Pine
Falls, needing meth for some customers in North Dakota and coming into
some money through a recent inheritance, court was told.

The bikers and their associates bought it hook, line and sinker, said
Mainella.

Jurors will also hear and see detailed evidence of how the Hells
Angels operate through expert witness testimony and seized exhibits,
including job application forms, photographs and clothing, he said.