DRUG PROFITS ATTRACT NEW GANGS TO CITY

Last summer, Kelowna Mounties were on the offensive trying to prevent
the Hells Angels motorcycle gang from starting an official chapter here.

To that point, the Hells Angels were about the only organized
criminal organization the public was widely aware of, certainly the
most common and most feared.

But in just a few months, police have announced that more gangs have
been spotted in and moving freely around the city.

In late September, police took down a half dozen marijuana grow
operations related to Vietnamese gangs.

Last week, police found a member of the Independent Soldiers, a
largely Indo-Canadian gang, in Kelowna doing gangster things.

He carried symbols of membership along with several weapons including
a crossbow, loaded nine-mm handgun and 18 nine-mm gun barrels.

RCMP spokesperson Const. Annie Linteau says police have known about
the groups for some time but it remains to be seen if any of the
gangs are operating on a significant level here.

"Obviously we are quite concerned about it every time we find out
about a new group that might have established themselves here--and it
is unknown if they have established themselves here," she said.

"All we know is the (person) arrested was a resident of Kelowna."

Police haven't released his name because formal charges haven't yet
been laid, but said he is Indo-Canadian, which itself is
insignificant since the group has expanded beyond its original ethnic
membership.

The Independent Soldiers has a short but bloody history in the Lower
Mainland. Many of the drug-world murders in Vancouver in recent years
were members--including founder Bicky Dosanjh, Paul Dosanjh, Ron and
Jimmy Dosanjh and Bindy Johal--or were perpetrated by members.

Police know a little more about the Vietnamese organized crime in town.

Supt. Bill McKinnon told reporters Monday that police have known of
their involvement for the past couple of years but they were only
able to make significant arrests in the last few weeks.

He said he believed they were still closely tied to Vancouver but
expanded into Kelowna.

"The marijuana grow operation industry alone is a very lucrative
business and they want a share of the pie," he said.

The area of Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, with a population of a
quarter-million is largely untapped and attractive to such organizations.

Drugs are often the beginning but certainly not the end of the enterprise.

"We know for a fact that members of organized crime will tap into
different areas and get involved in a multitude of criminal
activities if they are able to make money and hence the reason those
groups might leave the Lower Mainland," Linteau said.

McKinnon said police have several outstanding investigations into
these groups but their biggest target in past has been the Hells Angels.

Kelowna RCMP were deeply involved in project E-Pandora, a 23-month
long investigation that resulted in charges laid against 18 Hells
Angels members or associates in B.C. That operation seemed to come
when the Hells Angels were considering initiating a Kelowna chapter.

Police are mum on the likelihood of turf or gang wars, and while
there is certainly no sign of that they say they are not letting any
group in without a fight.

"We have been spending significant resources to fighting organized
crime in B.C.," McKinnon said. "But it takes a lot of money and it
takes a lot of resources."