HELLS ANGELS CHIEF'S SON PLEADS GUILTY

Wannabe Member of Motorcycle Gang Faces More Than Six Years in Prison

The son of John Bryce, the 56-year-old president of the East End
chapter of the Hells Angels, pleaded guilty Thursday to trafficking
cocaine, extortion and possession of the proceeds of crime.

Jonathan Sal Bryce, 25, who had applied to become a Hells Angels
member before he was arrested in 2005, entered the surprise guilty
pleas to five charges Thursday, days before his drug trial was to
begin Monday.

He faces more than six years in prison for his crimes when he is
sentenced Nov. 28 by Associate Chief Justice Patrick Dohm of the B.C.
Supreme Court.

The sentencing hearing is expected to hear how Bryce sold five kg of
cocaine to Michael Plante, who was working as a police agent and
signed an agreement for $1 million in 2004 to infiltrate the Hells
Angels.

At the time, Plante was carrying a device that recorded conversations,
which were monitored by the RCMP.

Two of the drug deals were done at the Hells Angels clubhouse in
Vancouver on Nov. 15 and 16, 2004. Another drug deal took place at
Lougheed Mall in January 2005.

During the initial drug deals, Bryce had applied to become a Hells
Angel member and was considered an official "friend" of the motorcycle
gang but had reached "hang-around" status at the time of the last drug
deal on Jan. 14, 2005.

Bryce also pleaded guilty Thursday to the extortion of Glen Louie in
January 2005.

A day before Bryce entered his guilty plea and two courtrooms away, a
tape recording of Louie's cries while being beaten by Bryce and a
Hells Angels member on Burnaby Mountain was played.

Also present at the beating was the police agent, Plante, whose
recording device transmitted the man's cries as he was punched,
knocked down and kicked.

Louie was apparently beaten because he had told people he was an
associate with the Hells Angels. The beating was to send a message to
others not to use the name without the approval of the motorcycle gang.

Plante, testifying at the drug trial of Hells Angels member Ronaldo
Lising, said the beating of Louie was done at the direction of the
Hells Angels.

Ken Westlake, the lawyer representing Bryce, told the judge Thursday
that the defence and Crown had agreed to a two-year jail term for the
extortion but the lawyer was unable to reach a joint submission with
federal prosecutor Martha Devlin on the appropriate sentence for the
drug offences.

Bryce was among 18 people, including six members of the Hells Angels
East End chapter, who were charged with a variety of offences in July
2005 after a 23-month investigation code-named Project Epandora that
culminated with raids of Hells Angels clubhouses in east Vancouver and
Kelowna.

At the time, a senior Mountie, then Insp. Bob Paulson, said the East
End chapter was specifically targeted by investigators because it is
the most powerful Hells Angels chapter in B.C.