POLICE PUT SQUEEZE ON BIKERS

A recent raid on a Hells Angels puppet club will likely lead to more
arrests further up the biker gang's network, says an expert. "You can
count on it. There's going to be some Hells Angels arrested soon,"
said Guy Ouellette, a retired sergeant with Quebec's provincial police
biker unit. "These aren't the big names. Now they're going after the
head of the organization."

Last Friday, city police arrested 35 alleged members and associates of
the Zig Zag Crew, street level enforcers and drug dealers who became a
Hells puppet club six weeks ago.

The roundup, dubbed Operation Othello, saw police seize 1.75 kilograms
of cocaine, seven kilograms of marijuana, 150 pot plants from grow
operations, smaller amounts of ecstasy and methamphetamines, and more
than $250,000 in cash.

SIGNIFICANT BLOW

Ouellette, who has testified at biker trials across Canada, said the
arrests strike a significant blow to the gang's drug network, adding
it will take time for the ringleaders to find trustworthy
replacements.

Police aren't releasing the names of the suspects -- 33 men and two
women -- until they're formally charged in court. All the suspects
have been released pending court dates. They face charges of
trafficking marijuana and cocaine, conspiracy to traffic and
proceeds-of-crime offences.

Ouellette said he's encouraged Winnipeg police are again targetting
the Zig Zag Crew, after having put the gang on the back burner to
focus on a more recent case involving a Hells Angels member and four
associates. That trial was halted when prosecutors began questioning
the credibility of their star witness.