B.C. TRUCKER PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S.

Maple Ridge's Robert J. Shannon faces at least 10 years in jail on
conspiracy and money-laundering charges in Washington state

A Metro Vancouver man linked to the Hells Angels pleaded guilty
Tuesday in Seattle to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana
and money-laundering, and will face at least a decade behind bars.

Maple Ridge trucker Robert J. Shannon was alleged to be the leader of
an international drug ring working "on behalf of the Hells Angels
Motorcycle Club," according to the indictment filed against him last
June.

Shannon was due to go to trial in February, but will instead be
sentenced in March on the two counts, related to drug importations
worth an estimated $19 million US.

When Shannon pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, special
assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Cornell told the judge he plans to seek a
sentence "substantially above the mandatory minimum" because of the
significant reach of the drug conspiracy, the large quantities of
drugs involved, and Shannon's leadership in the ring. The mandatory
minimum sentence for the charges is 10 years.

Cornell said in an interview that Shannon has so far pleaded guilty
only to the basic charges against him.

"As the federal prosecutor handling the case, I will have to convince
the judge that Mr. Shannon was indeed a leader and that he was
responsible for thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds of
marijuana and cocaine," Cornell said. "I will have to provide
documentation to the court and to United States probation to justify
the reason why he is the leader, for instance."

While U.S. court documents do not detail Shannon's alleged
relationship with the Hells Angels, the RCMP said earlier he was
associated with full-patch members of the Vancouver, Haney and Mission
clubs.

The Vancouver Sun obtained several photographs of Shannon posing with
Vancouver Hells Angel Hal Bruce Porteous, wearing his colours and
death's head pin.

The photos appear to be taken outside at a birthday party for Porteous
attended by Shannon and his former business partner Jody York, among
others.

The U.S. indictment says Shannon was in charge of distributing the
cocaine and marijuana across North America and directed smuggling
activities.

The drugs were hidden inside hollowed-out logs on trucks, within the
false walls of cargo containers and vehicles, within loads of
commercial lumber, inside large plastic pipes, and in the interior of
a propane tanker.

The Vancouver Sun revealed Monday that Shannon and York had founded a
Langley trucking company called Image Logistics in 2002, along with
another man still facing charges in the drug case, Richard A. Jansen.
York, an associate of slain Independent Soldier gang member Joe
Krantz, was listed as president, while Shannon was
vice-president.

York's Langley house was the target of a drive-by shooting in early
October.

Jansen and Shannon ceased to be directors of Image Logistics on Dec.
31, 2005, corporate records show.

Jansen's new trucking company, Scorpion Transport, is listed in court
documents as allegedly transporting B.C. bud across into Washington
state in several shipments.

Just two weeks ago, three other B.C. men charged in the same
conspiracy case also pleaded guilty. Devron Quast and Philip Stone
were both managers at Quast's father's Hyundai dealership in
Abbotsford while they were involved in the drug ring. Another
Canadian, John Fairweather, also admitted to a role after being caught
at a Bellingham warehouse where marijuana from B.C. was found.