INDEPENDENT OUTFITS THE FASTEST-GROWING BUNCH IN B.C.

There Are 49 Of Them And They Do Contract Jobs For Other Gangs

More than 125 organized-crime groups are active in B.C., according to
the RCMP's Integrated Threat Assessment on Organized Crime.

And the number is rising -- although this is likely due to better
police identification. There were 124 in 2006, 108 in 2005 and 51 in 2003.

So who are all these gangs shooting it out on our streets?

The fastest-growing gangs in B.C., according to the RCMP report, are
non-traditional independent gangs, often composed of members from
different ethnic groups who do contract work for others. Independent
groups have grown from 11 in 2004 to 49 in 2007.

Biker gangs are the second-largest type of gangs in B.C. There are 33
identified biker gangs, 21 Asian gangs and 12 Indo-Canadian gangs,
according to the RCMP report.

One of the top independent gangs is the UN Gang, a violent,
multi-ethnic, drug-trafficking group with roots in the Fraser Valley,
mainly in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.

The Hells Angels reign supreme among biker gangs, with about 200
full-patch members in the province. They are allegedly involved in
the drug trade -- specifically, marijuana grow-ops and cocaine.

Among the most notorious Indo-Canadian gangs are the Independent
Soldiers. The group of about 25 formed in south Vancouver about five
years ago. They specialize in cross-border trucking of marijuana and
cocaine and have branched out to the Interior, northern B.C., Toronto
and Calgary.

Asian gangs, such as the Big Circle Boys, are involved in
drug-trafficking from Asia (mostly heroin and crystal meth), identity
theft, credit-card fraud, loansharking and human-trafficking.

Persian gangs have also been active in a series of retaliatory
shootouts on North Vancouver streets and in Richmond parks.

There are also a number of active youth gangs in the region. Although
they frequently change alliances and names, some of the better-known
groups include Langley's 856 gang, EVS (the East Van Soldiers) and
LC3 (the Latin Criminals).

Across Canada, 950 organized-crime groups were identified in 2007, up
from 800 in 2006.