'FULL PATCH' ANGELS CHARGED

Further Investigation Is Expected To Result In More Arrests, Police Say

Eighteen people, including six full-patch members of the Hells
Angels, have been charged with a variety of offences, including drug
trafficking, extortion and possession of explosives, after the
largest investigation of the biker gang in B.C. history.

And police say there's more to come.

"We will be investigating this group further," RCMP Const. Cam
Kowalski said Monday at a news conference. "We anticipate that there
will be further arrests."

The 23-month police investigation, which culminated in dramatic raids
on the Angels' east Vancouver and Kelowna clubhouses Friday, also
marks the first time that B.C. members of the Angels have been
charged with committing crimes for the benefit of a criminal organization.

Under the Criminal Code, someone who commits a crime for the benefit
of a criminal organization, or who orders such a crime, can be
sentenced to up to 14 years in prison on top of their sentence for
the offence itself.

"We are alleging that the East End chapter of the Hells Angels are a
criminal organization," Kowalski said.

East End chapter president John Bryce acknowledged Monday in an
interview that members of the Angels sometimes get involved with
criminal activity, but denied the group is anything more than a club
of motorcycle enthusiasts.

"Whatever they do, it's on their own -- it's not to do with the
organization itself," he said.

Kowalski said police executed 22 separate search warrants over the
two-year investigation and an additional 12 warrants over the past
few days, including those on the Angels' clubhouses.

In all, during those searches, police seized:

- - More than 20 kilograms of crystal meth.

- - More than 20 kilograms of cocaine.

- - More than 70 kilograms of marijuana.

- - More than $200,000 in Canadian currency.

- - Two hundred and fifty kilograms of methylamine, a key ingredient in ecstasy.

- - Five handguns and some fully automatic weapons with silencers.

- - Four grenades.

- - Eleven sticks of dynamite, along with detonation cords and blasting caps.

Several bags of the seized goods were displayed for the media at
Monday's news conference, though police acknowledged none of it was
taken during Friday's raids on the Angels' clubhouses.

"Take a good, hard look at the table in front of you," said Kowalski.
"Is that something that a gentleman's motorcycle club or any club
would reasonably possess?"

The police investigation, codenamed Project Epandora, was launched by
the RCMP and assisted by the Vancouver Police Department and the
Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU).

The vast majority of those charged were arrested Friday, the same day
as the clubhouse raids, while two more turned themselves in Sunday.

All those arrested were remanded in custody Monday and are expected
to apply for bail in the coming days.

Only one of those charged, 25-year-old Kerry Ryan Renaud, remained at
large Monday.

He is considered armed and dangerous and police have asked the public
to call 911 if they see him.

Four full-patch members of the East End chapter -- David Francis
Giles, John Virgil Punko, Randall Richard Potts and Jean Joseph
Violette -- have been charged with a variety of offences in
connection with the investigation.

Also charged are Ronaldo Lising, a full-patch member of the Angels'
Nomads chapter, Richard Conway, a full-patch member of the Vancouver
chapter, and Bryce's 24-year-old son Jonathan Sal Bryce, a
"hangaround" member of the East End chapter.

Bryce senior said he has spoken with his son only briefly since his arrest.

"He didn't say so much," he said. "We don't really know the particulars."

Project Epandora marks the second major strike by police against the
Angels this year.

In January, three current and former members of the Hells Angels were
charged with various drug offences along with three members of the
Prince George Renegades, a "puppet club" of the Angels according to police.

"This message is loud and clear [to] any criminal organization
working in British Columbia: Take notice, that police agencies across
British Columbia will be working to disrupt your criminal activity
and lay charges where we can," said Vancouver police spokesman Const.
Howard Chow.

Police said Friday they are confident of getting convictions against
the Angels in court, but their record is not good.

Last fall, The Vancouver Sun reported that more than 30 criminal
prosecutions launched against members of the Hells Angels in B.C.
over the past decade have ended in either acquittals or in the
charges being stayed by the Crown.

In fact, prosecutors failed to secure convictions against club
members in more than 60 per cent of the cases reviewed by The Sun --
including allegations of drug trafficking, extortion and even
assaults against police officers.

In comparison, police in Quebec -- working closely with a team of
dedicated prosecutors -- have put more than half of that province's
Angels behind bars.

In February, the provincial government announced plans to establish a
dedicated team of prosecutors to help shepherd complex cases,
including organized crime cases, through the courts.

Attorney-General Wally Oppal said that team worked with the
investigators on Project Epandora and he hopes police and prosecutors
will continue to work closely in the future.

"This is a trend that I hope to continue," said Oppal. "Because the
conduct of criminal trials has become so complex, one way to ensure
that the prosecution runs smoothly is to have the senior specialized
prosecutors working with the police to give them legal advice."

Because most of the alleged offences in Project Epandora are
drug-related, a federal prosecutor was also assigned to the case from
the early stages.

Insp. Andy Richards with the CFSEU said that cooperation allowed
investigators to proceed with direct indictments against all of those
charged -- meaning the cases will not require preliminary hearings
and can proceed more quickly through the courts.

Richards said he is hopeful these most recent arrests will show that
the Angels are not invincible in B.C.

"I think it demystifies the Hells Angels for the public," he said.
"It sends a message that law enforcement is serious about combatting
organized crime and the Hells Angels."

Insp. Bob Paulson of the RCMP said the East End chapter was
specifically targeted by investigators because it is the most
powerful in the province

"The East End chapter is the top of list," he said. "It is the most
senior, the most powerful."

Police say they hope the recent arrests will make it more difficult
for the Angels to establish a separate chapter in Kelowna, something
they believe the group had planned for later this year.

Last week, Bryce criticized police for their use of force --
including use of a battering ram-- during their raid on the east
Vancouver clubhouse, saying the Angels would have invited them in if asked.

On Monday, Chow said force was warranted in raiding the heavily
fortified clubhouse.

"Despite their claims, I doubt that if we had sent a telegram saying
that we were going to show up that they'd have the doors open to us
welcoming us with tea and crumpets," he said. "We did what was
necessary . . . and what needed to be done to ensure the safety of
everyone involved."