Canadians Slain in Mexico Linked to Hells Angels

Two Men Have Been Known to Police for 'Quite Some Time'

The two Canadians killed in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday have been known
to police for "quite some time" as being active in the drug trade, BC
RCMP has confirmed.

"Both the organized crime team and the gang task force have been aware
of these two males for a while," said Sgt. Bill Whalen with the
Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. "We've been aware that these
two males have been involved with the drug trade for a while. We've
been aware of ... some of their activities recently in Mexico."

A Mexican news website reported Monday that two Canadian men were
killed by gunmen at a Puerto Vallarta condominium early Sunday
morning. Noticias Puerto Vallarta reported that one man was shot in
the pool area of the condo while the second was shot near his room.
Both were shot several times, first by one gunman and then by a second
who fired at close range as the victims lay wounded on the ground.

The victims have been identified as Gordon Douglas Kendall and Jeffrey
Ronald Ivans, both of Kamloops, B.C. In a written statement Monday
afternoon, the Mexican embassy in Canada said it "regrets the deaths"
of the two victims.

"These deaths appear to have been a matter of settling a score," the
statement read. "Nevertheless, the appropriate Mexican authorities are
conducting an investigation to shed light on the case."

Whalen said he doesn't know what the two men were doing in Mexico but
he suspects their trip was drug-related.

"It's a suspicion, I don't know," he said. "But cocaine comes from
Mexico to Canada, and if you're involved in drug activity, that would
make sense."

Whalen also said RCMP aren't currently aware of any "strong"
connections between the two victims and local gang activity. But
according to the close friend of one of the victims, Ivans was in
Mexico doing construction work for the Hells Angels.

The friend confirmed to The Star that Ivans was one of the two men
killed in the Mexico shootings. He said Ivans grew up in Kamloops but
had been living in Kelowna for the past few years working in
construction as an equipment operator.

According to the friend, Ivans moved to Mexico last fall to do some
excavation work for the Hells Angels.

"He went down there to do some stuff for the Hells Angels, as far as I
know," said the friend, who doesn't want to be identified for fear of
retribution.

"I tried to talk him out of it. I knew this was going to happen. He
was involved in a nefarious venture, to say the least."

He said Ivans and Kendall were "good buddies" but he didn't know
Kendall or what he was doing in Mexico. Ivans had been conflicted
about relocating to Mexico, the friend says, and was "really on edge"
before leaving Canada.

"He told me that he was really miserable," he said. "He said 'I'm just
really stressed out, I have a hard decision to make about ... Mexico.
I don't know if I should go ... and right away I said 'Dude, don't.
It's going to end badly.'"

Kendall's father was reached at his home by telephone this morning and
also confirmed his son was one of the men being identified by media
reports. He said his son was 37 years old but declined further comment
and would not say what his son was doing in Mexico.

"I have not been officially notified from the consulate yet so really,
I have no comment," he said.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs also would not
confirm that the two victims were Canadian but said officials are
currently looking into reports "that two Canadians were involved in an
incident in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico."

"The Canadian missions in Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta are working
closely with local authorities to gather additional information, and
stand ready to provide consular assistance as required," said
spokesman Alain Cacchione in an email. "Due to the Privacy Act, I will
provide no further information at this time."

The Noticias Puerto Vallarta website posted graphic photographs of the
victims from the crime scene and one man can be seen wearing a
bloodied Hockey Hall of Fame shirt. The website reports the gunmen
fled in two cars after the shootings and Mexican police later found
three vehicles registered to the victims, a Ford F350 Super Duty
pickup truck with Canadian plates and a Hummer and a Mercedes Benz
with Mexican plates. The dark grey Ford pickup was reportedly
registered to Kendall.

A search of BC court records shows Ivans had a drug conviction in
Kamloops from 2002. He was charged with possession for the purposes of
trafficking. When asked whether Ivans was ever in trouble with the law
in B.C., the friend said "nothing major."

A Canadian Hells Angels spokesman also told The Star that the two
murdered men weren't members of their club.

"I've never heard those names," Rick Ciarniello said from
Vancouver.

If the murdered men were connected to his club, Ciarniello said his
phone would have been ringing with news and questions, but instead he
said he has heard nothing.

"I don't think they've got anything to do with anybody (in Hells
Angels) in B.C.," Ciarniello said.

To Ivans' friend, his buddy was just a fun-loving guy with a sense of
adventure who loved to ride his motorcycle. He said Ivans was also
excellent at his job and well known around town as a charming ladies'
man.

"He loved life, he loved to party," the friend said. "He liked being
out on the lake on his boat, he liked his hair blowing in the wind on
his Harley. He had a great, great sense of humour."