DRUGS AND VIOLENCE, THE COMMON THREAD

Street gangsters in Winnipeg come in all shapes and sizes - from
aboriginal teens in disadvantaged neighbourhoods to white bikers born
and bred in the suburbs.

But despite their differences, two things bind them: Drugs and
violence.

Manitoba's gangsters and organized crime members - last estimated at
more than 1,500 - are lured to the criminal underworld for reasons
including a sense of belonging, personal protection and status. But
it's the money made from selling gang-controlled drugs that keeps them
coming.

It's impossible to estimate the money that sales of cocaine, crystal
methamphetamine, marijuana and less common drugs put into pockets of
Winnipeg gangsters, though police have said the city's cocaine trade
alone is worth more than $5 million a month.

A large portion of that trade can be traced to the city's two biggest
outlaw motorcycle clubs: The Hells Angels and the Bandidos.

"I've heard them referred to as motorcycle enthusiasts and certainly
they are that and more," Sgt. Rob Harding, a supervisor in the
Winnipeg police organized crime unit, told Sun Media last fall.

"Probably the main part of their business is the drug trade. It's a
money-making venture. And that's what they do. They make money in the
drug trade."

In February, Winnipeg police arrested 13 people with alleged ties to
the Hells Angels - including Manitoba chapter president Ernie Dew -
after an undercover police informant bought more than $400,000 worth
of cocaine and meth from the bikers in less than a year.

That headline-grabbing sweep is the kind of bite Mayor Sam Katz wants
to take out of organized crime more often, but much of the fight
against gangs is coming in smaller measures.

After the provincial government provided the city with $4 million in
gaming revenue over two years to recruit an additional 48 cops, Katz
and police Chief Jack Ewatski launched Operation Clean Sweep last
November to clamp down on street crime - much of it gang-related -
mainly in the troubled West End.

"We're moving in the right direction. We need to do more," Katz
said.

"And we're going to put in more energy and as many resources as we
need to make sure we can deal with gang violence."

Clean Sweep was initially estimated to cost $1.6 million with 45
officers for three months. Katz has since pledged it will run
indefinitely, and he denies the Winnipeg police union's charges the
operation will run with as few as four officers this summer due to
other staffing demands.

Besides the biker gangs and their puppet clubs - groups of mostly
suburban, mostly white young men who run drugs and weapons for the
bikers in order to insulate their superiors from evidence - Winnipeg
is home to Asian-based, aboriginal-based and African-based crime
groups, as well as European-based groups including the Mafia.

"We've got European connections here. We've got Italian connections
here connected to eastern Canada and eastern states, Chicago. There's
some of everything," Harding said.

"There's connections here from almost anything you can think
of."

Some of the better known Winnipeg gangs include native groups such as
the Indian Posse, the Manitoba Warriors and the Native Syndicate.

These gangs have a large presence at Manitoba prisons as well. The
Native Syndicate, in fact, was started behind bars.

Last month inmate Sheldon McKay was asphyxiated to death in a cell at
Stony Mountain Institution, just north of Winnipeg. A source told Sun
Media McKay, serving a life sentence for manslaughter, was a
high-ranking member of the Indian Posse.

RCMP have not said whether the killing appears gang-related.

One of the newest gangs in Winnipeg made national headlines last
October when Phil Haiart, a 17-year-old bystander, was killed by a
stray bullet allegedly fired as a result of in-fighting between the
Mad Cowz and splinter group African Mafia.

The Mad Cowz, which Winnipeg police became aware of in 2004, is
composed mainly of teenage African immigrants who live - and sell
cocaine - in the city's West End.

The gang has become known for ruthlessness and a lack of hesitation to
use violence, but has managed to keep itself out of the news since a
flurry of attention appeared shortly after Haiart's shooting.