FIFTY RAIDS TARGET ORGANIZED CRIME

Warrants Issued For Businesses, Homes Linked To Vietnamese, Hells Angels,
Italian Crime Groups

Police say the Hells Angels, Vietnamese and Italian organized-crime groups
were the targets of police raids this week on more than 50 businesses and
homes, including undisclosed addresses in Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, North
Vancouver, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.

RCMP Const. David Gray said Friday the search warrants were issued
following a 20-month investigation of organized-crime proceeds relating to
drug offences and other alleged crimes.

"So far, in excess of 200 banker's boxes of documents were obtained through
these searches, so it's a vast project," said Gray, who works for the
RCMP's integrated proceeds of crime section in Vancouver.

Gray confirmed that police seized eight kilograms of cocaine, undisclosed
quantities of marijuana and ecstasy and 24 barrels of chemicals used for
the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Police also confiscated nine handguns and 12 rifles or shotguns and an
undisclosed sum of Canadian and U.S. currency.

Gray said the police searches took place mainly in the Lower Mainland, but
there were also warrants executed in Vernon, Nelson and the small town of
Boswell in the West Kootenay, and in six Toronto-area locations.

In some past police investigations of organized crime, officials haven't
named specific groups. This time, however, Gray said police focused on what
he called both "traditional and non-traditional crime groups."

"Italian organized crime was involved, as well as Hells Angels, Vietnamese
organized crime, and other persons who are not really in any group," he said.

As of Friday -- four days after the first raid on Tuesday -- no criminal
charges had been laid.

Gray said the search warrants are still sealed, which means the information
police presented to a judge or justice of the peace to get the court's
authority to conduct the raids is not yet public.

Gray said he could not disclose where the raids took place, but he did
confirm that one occurred in a commercial building at 22356 Lougheed
Highway in Maple Ridge.

According to an on-line search, the building's registered owner is Jolima
Enterprises Ltd. The storefront business in that building is called the CD
Shack, a used compact-disc store.

A man who would only identify himself as the owner of the CD Shack said
police broke the lock of his business Tuesday to get into the building to
get access to another area behind his shop that he sublets to a man who
repairs guitars.

"It has nothing to do with me, except that he's the tenant and I'm the
landlord," he said. "There's only one way in, so you have to come into my
business to get to his business. They [the police] picked the lock of his
business and basically did what they had to do."

Calls to the unnamed business operated by the guitar technician were not
returned.

Rick Ciarniello, a member of the Hells Angels who speaks for the motorcycle
club, said Friday he has heard nothing about any police raids on local
Hells Angels clubhouses or the businesses or homes of its members.

Ciarniello criticized the police spokesman for stating that Hells Angels
were one of the organized-crime groups that police targeted. He said the
Hells Angels is not a criminal organization.

"I've always complained that they use our name indiscriminately, as though
the entire club was the target of their investigation," he said. "In most
cases, we're not involved at all. If somebody is involved in anything
criminal, they're acting on their own, not for the Hells Angels."