MASSACRE POINTS TO TORONTO BIKER WAR

Three Gang Members Reported Missing After Eight Bodies Found In
Farmer's Field

SHEDDEN, ONT. and TORONTO -- A long-simmering rivalry between
criminal biker gangs appears to have exploded in the largest gangland
slaying in Ontario history.

Three members of the Bandidos motorcycle club, long-time rivals of
the Hells Angels, were reported missing Friday and may be among the
eight bodies discovered Saturday morning.

One of the missing men is believed to be associated with Superior
Towing, the Toronto-based company whose truck was found abandoned on
a side road south of London, Ont., not far from the home of a well-
known biker-gang leader.

Police sources told The Globe and Mail that the men, three of the
dozen members of the Bandidos' lone Canadian chapter, based in
Toronto, were reported missing by relatives.

Sources say Bandido members George Jessof and Frank Salerno are among
the missing.

For many years most notably in Scandinavia, the Hells Angels and
Bandidos have battled for control of the drug trade, resulting in
many deaths.

The Ontario Provincial Police said they have some understanding of
who the victims are, and are convinced they all knew each other, but
they did not release any names pending formal identification.

The eight bodies, all men from the Greater Toronto Area, were
discovered by a farmer in rural Elgin County. They were found in and
around three cars and a tow truck that had one of the cars attached
to it. But police would not say how the men died. The discovery
shocked the sleepy farming community just south of Highway 401.

"It's horrible," said Carl, who lives next to the crime scene but
didn't give his last name. "This isn't something from around here. I
can the see the 401 from here. I think somebody just thought this was
a good place to dispose of someone."

The OPP investigation yesterday included scrutiny of the home of a
known biker who lives a few kilometres from the crime scene. A
spokesman would not reveal any details, citing operational security,
but neighbours said several cruisers could be seen around the home of
Wayne Kellestine, the former leader of the St. Thomas Annihilators
and St. Thomas Loners biker gangs.

It's not known whether Mr. Kellestine, who survived an assassination
attempt in 1999, has any active links to biker gangs.

But former Bandidos member Edward Winterhalder told The Canadian
Press yesterday that Mr. Kellestine had connections to the Bandidos.

"I can tell you that it's Bandidos that got killed," added Mr.
Winterhalder, who left the gang in 2003 and wrote Out in Bad
Standings, a book about his time inside the gang.

The killings could have ramifications in biker-gang battles across
North America, he said.

"We're watching this with eyes wide open," he said from his home in
Oklahoma.

With about 600 members worldwide, the Bandidos number roughly one-
quarter the Hells Angels' global strength. In Canada, the disparity
is greater still, with no more than a few dozen full-patch Bandidos
- -- many of whom are in jail -- balanced against an estimated 500
Hells Angels or close associates.

At a press conference near the crime scene yesterday, the OPP
declined to discuss possible motives for the mass slaying.

In the early hours yesterday, police removed the eight bodies and
four vehicles from the scene. The bodies were at the coroner's office
in downtown Toronto last night awaiting post-mortem examination. The
names of most of the deceased are expected to be released today.

The vehicles -- a green Chevy Silverado tow truck with the Superior
Towing logo, a silver Volkswagen Golf that was attached to it, a grey
Pontiac Grand Prix and a silver Infinity SUV -- have been taken to
the OPP lab for forensic tests.

Aerial photographs taken Saturday showed a crime scene that stretched
across 200 metres. The Infinity SUV was 20 metres off the road in a
cornfield. Its back hatch was open and the body of a large man could
be seen lying curled up on his side. The Pontiac, which published
reports indicate is a rental car, was 50 metres up the road from the
tow truck and the Golf.

Danny Creatura, owner of Superior Towing & Storage Ltd. in Toronto,
said in an interview that he last saw the usual driver of the green
tow truck on Friday afternoon.

"So far, I haven't been contacted by the police so I can't even say
if the person who was driving one of my trucks is one of my drivers,"
Mr. Creatura said, adding that he did not believe any property
belonging to his company has been stolen.

OPP Detective Superintendent Ross Bingley, who heads the
investigation, said detectives are gathering evidence and won't be
releasing any further information until forensic examinations are
complete. He refused to discuss the possibility that the Hells Angels
or other biker gangs might be connected to the killings.

"The Hells are present in Ontario. Everybody knows that. But as far
as me discussing the Hells or anybody else, we're working on a murder
case and we're not talking about the Hells."

Police said they would keep the area sealed off for as long as
necessary.

"The last thing we want is some member of the public to find
something that we should've found. So we're going to be very thorough
and do it properly," said OPP Constable Doug Graham.

Moulds of tire tracks left in the dirt road are among the details
that will be gathered by forensics investigators.

At the Hells Angels' downtown Toronto clubhouse, which resembles a
fortress with surveillance cameras and thick concrete walls, a man
who answered the door declined all comment about the killing.

"Sorry, can't talk to you," he said.

On the bikers' website, a message said: "The Hells Angels Motorcycle
Club, or any of its members, are not involved in this crime in any
way shape or form. Newspaper reports and speculation to the contrary,
will be proved completely wrong in the coming days."

The Hells Angels have suffered a series of setbacks in recent months.

In a landmark decision last July, involving a case of extortion, a
Superior Court judge in Barrie, Ont., ruled under laws designed to
combat organized crime that the Hells Angels are a criminal
organization.

In January, an OPP agent infiltrated the Thunder Bay Hells Angels
chapter, which led to the arrest of five full-patch members and --
according to police -- the disruption of the cocaine trade in
Northern Ontario.

And last week, news reports surfaced of a possible deal that would
see North Toronto full-patch member, Paris Christoforou, plead guilty
in connection to the 2004 shooting that left Toronto mother Louise
Russo paralyzed.