SHOOTING MAY OPEN DOOR TO GANG, AUTHOR SAYS

The recent shooting of a man with ties to the Hells Angels could be
the opening police need to learn about the local workings of the
organization, an expert on the Hells Angels said Wednesday.

About a dozen men in Hells Angels jackets attended the funeral of Isho
Ahmid Hana Tuesday in Saskatoon. Hana, 34, was awaiting trial on
numerous counts of trafficking in cocaine and steroids and conspiracy
to traffic in those controlled substances.

"They just made their first mistake in Saskatoon by showing up at the
funeral, indicating this is one of their people who got killed," said
Yves Lavigne, author of three books about the Hells Angels, including
his most recent work Hells Angels at War, published in 1999 by
HarperCollins Canada.

"This shooting, if properly investigated, should open the door to the
organization for the police," Lavigne said in an interview from Toronto.

The Hells Angels have been present in Saskatoon since 1998 but have
maintained a low profile. Their attendance at Hana's funeral was a
rare public indication of a connection to a local crime.

The fact the public has known little about their activities means the
police aren't doing their jobs, Lavigne said.

"The public needs to be concerned. They need to demand that the police
do something because the police have had 5 1/2 years to investigate
the Hells Angels in Saskatoon and do something about it and they have
not," he said.

Saskatoon police did not return numerous requests for comment
Wednesday.

There is no doubt the Hells Angels are involved in the illegal drug
trade in Saskatoon as they are anywhere else they exist, Lavigne said,
adding 85 per cent of Hells Angels members worldwide have criminal
records for drug, prostitution-related and other offences.

Although local Hells Angels members maintain they are simply a
recreational motorcycle club, Lavigne insists the local Rebels biker
club would never have been "patched over" to the notorious
international organization if they hadn't already proven they are
willing to participate in Hells Angels activities.

"They don't get their colours until they're in the game," he said.

Lavigne said the Saskatoon shooting, which occurred April 15 on the
2100 block of Preston Avenue, was eerily similar to a shooting in
Winnipeg a few years ago.

"It's a recurring pattern. . . . A guy was shot in a residential area,
by the curb. It's so similar to what happens in Quebec all the time,"
said Lavigne.

"This is a drug killing. It's a drug murder, but we don't know by who yet.

"Obviously, this man was an associate of the Hells Angels or they
would not have shown up at his funeral. That's a tell-tale sign."

A stray bullet from the Hana shooting that made its way into the
bedroom of a 12-year-old neighbour should cause citizens and the local
government to demand the police attack the drugs and organized crime
problem before more people are killed, Lavigne said.

"They also have to worry that the drug market in Saskatoon is so
lucrative that people are ready to murder for a piece of the action
and that's a terrible burden on the community."

The Hells Angels are the only crime organization that helps law
enforcement agencies by identifying themselves by wearing their
colours, making them easy to follow and keep track of, he said.

"You can have the best players on the hockey team, but if the coach
says 'Don't touch the puck,' no one will score a goal. In this case
the coach is the police administrators and the puck is the Hells
Angels and until the police chief orders his investigators to go after
the Hells Angels nothing will be done," Lavigne said.