BANDIDOS HEAD VOWS BIKER GANG IS HERE TO STAY

Jury Finds Him, 3 Associates, Guilty

THE head of the Manitoba Bandidos launched into a profanity-laced
tirade and vowed the notorious biker gang was here to stay -- moments
after a jury found him and three associates guilty of kidnapping and
torturing a rival drug dealer.

Friday afternoon's verdict could represent a crushing blow to the
local chapter, as the men are facing lengthy prison sentences for
their roles in the February 2005 attack. A fifth accused had
previously pleaded guilty.

"The Bandidos aren't (expletive) going anywhere," gang leader Ron
Burling shouted in court as he was led away in shackles by sheriff's
officers.

"God forgives. The Bandidos doesn't."

Burling also directed his venom towards Crown attorney Daniel Chaput
with a barely audible threat that is now being investigated by justice
officials. Only the words "rape" and "girlfriend" could be clearly
heard from the public gallery.

The five gang members -- Burling, Adam Curwin, Billy Joe Ducharme,
Daniel Blair and Daniel Pereira -- have all been detained in custody
and a sentencing date is expected to be set next week.

Burling is currently serving a nine-year prison term for a violent
home invasion in which he accidentally shot off his own toe.

Manitoba is one of only a few provinces in Canada with a full-time
Bandidos presence. The gang's status took a major hit last year when
eight Bandidos were executed in Ontario in what police called an
"internal cleansing."

Five other Bandidos members and associates -- including three from
Manitoba -- have been charged with the killings. A preliminary hearing
is underway.

In Winnipeg, jurors began their deliberations on Thursday afternoon
following one of the longest trials in recent memory. The case began
in early January.

They found the accused guilty as charged of kidnapping, aggravated
assault and extortion for their role in a disturbing attack on a
20-year-old man.

Jurors were told the victim owed Burling money as part of an
outstanding drug debt. The man and his girlfriend were allegedly lured
to an inner-city residence by a so-called "friend" who had been told
of the pending attack by the accused.

Jason Michel, a former high-ranking biker associate who admits to
participating in parts of the attack, was called as a Crown witness to
detail the incident.

His evidence was considered crucial since the victim offered little
during his testimony, claiming to have no memory of the incident or
who was responsible.

Michel told court the man and his girlfriend were run off the road and
dragged from their vehicles into a nearby home by Burling's co-accused
and another Crown witness.

They were separated and held in different parts of the house for
several hours, with the man being severely beaten and forced to turn
over money, he said. His injuries included fingers crushed with a
sledgehammer and having a tattoo forcibly removed with a knife.

"He looked like a beach ball. His head was swollen. He was beat up,"
Michel testified earlier in the trial.

Michel's credibility was a hot issue for defence lawyers, as he
admitted to having an extensive record for crimes including
break-and-enter, assault, uttering threats and breach of court orders.

But jurors clearly believed his testimony.