PROVINCE SEIZES ANGELS CLUBHOUSE

B.C.'s New Crime Weapon: A Civil Law

Police smashed in the door of the Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse
yesterday morning and took over the building under a new law allowing
seizure of assets that may have been acquired through illegal
activity. The large square building at 805 Victoria Rd., decorated
with the Hells Angels' flying deathhead logo, is being guarded by
Nanaimo RCMP. A dozen full-patch Nanaimo Hells Angels members and
business associates are not allowed in the building.

Under the civil forfeiture law, which came into effect in May 2006,
the building and its contents are legally frozen, meaning they cannot
be used, mortgaged or sold until the forfeiture case is heard in civil
court.

A trial will determine whether the 96-year-old structure was bought
with money derived from criminal activity or has been used for
criminal activity. If the case is successful, proceeds from the sale
will be used for crime prevention or to compensate victims of crime.

Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman Const. Jen Allen said the mid-morning timing
of the seizure, which involved about 40 police officers, was
deliberate, as the clubhouse was unlikely to be occupied. Once police
were inside, the building was searched and secured, Allen said.

The seizure shocked club members, said Hells Angel Fred Widdifield,
named as a defendant in the action along with Lloyd Stennes, Richard
Phillips and Angel Acres Recreation and Festival Property Ltd., the
registered owner of the property.

"I've certainly had better days. They've seized the whole clubhouse.
They've got it for 30 days. Everyone is aghast," said Widdifield, who
raced to the clubhouse when he heard police were on site.

"They battered down the door. I guess they had a new club they wanted
to try out ... It looks like a bunch of crack addicts have busted into
our house." Some Harley-Davidson motorcycles are still in the
building, said Widdifield, who maintains the club is for motorcycle
enthusiasts.

The property, consisting of several parcels of land, was purchased in
1980 for $50,000. It's now valued at about $158,000, according to B.C.
Assessment Authority figures. The clubhouse was used as a hangout for
Satan's Angels before three Nanaimo motorcycle clubs switched to the
Hells Angels in 1983.

The building was raided by police in December 2003, when computer hard
drives, CDs, documents, Hells Angels clothing, unregistered shotguns
and a handgun were seized. At the time, court documents alleged the
Nanaimo chapter was involved in cocaine trafficking, assaults,
extortion, conspiracy to keep a bawdy house and procuring for illicit
sexual purposes.

Two cocaine-trafficking charges were laid against a full-patch member
and an associate more than a year after the raid.

This time, court documents appear to concentrate on illegal liquor
sales.

An affidavit filed in Supreme Court yesterday by police officer Robert
Turnbull describes the bar and liquor bottles at the clubhouse.
Turnbull, who was present during the 2003 search, said the bar
resembled a licensed establishment set up for the sale and consumption
of alcohol.

The clubhouse does not have a licence to sell alcohol, which is for
personal use, according to Widdifield. He argues the real goal behind
the seizure is to distract attention from gang wars in Vancouver. "We
are the only ones visible enough and they're doing anything that makes
them look better." Solicitor General John Les said seizure of the
clubhouse sends a message that the province is going after ill-gotten
gains. Potential recruits can be attracted by the sight of gang
members with expensive vehicles and nice homes, said Les, who would
not reveal whether similar raids will be made on clubhouses in the
Lower Mainland.

Since the civil-forfeiture legislation came into effect, more than $2
million in property and assets has been seized by the province and
another 60 cases, worth about $5 million, are being pursued, Les said.