THESE BIKERS ARE DEVILS

Two years ago, when former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman shocked his
constituents by publicly shaking hands with a member of the Hells Angels,
the biker gang's growing presence in Ontario made a flurry of headlines.
But then the controversy died.

Today, we live with the result. Ontario is now home to 15 thriving Hells
Angels chapters, with more than 180 full members and hundreds more
"prospects," friends and assorted hangers-on. That makes Ontario a world
centre for the Angels, with only California, where the Angels were founded,
boasting more members.

According to the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, this is a very big
problem. Outlaw biker gangs, of which the Angels are by far the most
powerful in this country, "are involved in an array of criminal activities
such as murder, drug trafficking, prostitution, illegal gambling,
extortion, intimidation, fraud and theft."

Quite a resume. But based on the evidence unearthed by The Globe and Mail
in its recent series on the Hells Angels, it's no exaggeration.

Since Dec. 29, 2000, when 179 Ontario bikers from lesser gangs were
assimilated into the Angels overnight, gang members have moved aggressively
to assert their hold on the province's criminal underworld.

In Northern Ontario, their hold on the cocaine trade is unrivalled. In
Toronto, and southwest to London, the Angels are deeply involved in
trafficking cocaine, ecstasy, prescription pills and other drugs. They are
also habitually involved in extortion, intimidation and the sex trade,
police say. Because Hells Angels violence is often connected to their
narcotics business, much of it goes unreported. But it's none the less
disturbing for all that.

What can be done about this problem? What should be done?

To begin, it's time that all Ontarians, especially those in regions with a
tradition of accepting outlaw bikers, see the Hells Angels for what they
are: organized crime. In Kitchener, for example, bikers have a long history
in the community. They give to local charities. They contribute to the
local economy. Some of them own legitimate businesses.

Perhaps as a result, some of the area's leading citizens, most notably
Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig, see little cause for concern. Local
businesspeople have nothing but good things to say about the gang's
members. They're big tippers. And they pay cash.

But no one should have any illusions about where this money comes from.
Even as one Hells Angel contributes to his local charity for the blind,
another will be busily importing cocaine by the kilogram for sale on local
streets or in local schools.

Ontario drug-treatment officials say cocaine availability in Ontario has
never been higher. Strangely, the increase appears to coincide with the
Angels' arrival in this province.

Can this be a coincidence? Not likely. Just as some organizations are loath
to accept money from tobacco firms, charities should refuse donations from
the Hells Angels. For this is dirty money.

At the same time, more can be done to combat the gang through the courts.
Bill C-24, Canada's new anti-gang law, contains tough provisions and
sentencing guidelines, as well it should. It was conceived in response to
the Angels' bloody war with the Rock Machine in Quebec as well as the
murders of two prison guards and the attempted murder of journalist Michel
Auger.

But tough as it is, the law could be tougher. For example, it could contain
provisions limiting the wearing of sheath knives in urban areas. Outlaw
bikers typically wear these weapons as an instrument of intimidation.

More important, the authorities need to devote far more resources to
prosecuting organized biker crime. In Quebec, after Angels kingpin Mom
Boucher's depredations, resources were made available. New courthouses were
built.

But in Ontario, no doubt because the Hells Angels have kept a low profile,
the political will to spend on this problem has so far been lacking. That
must change.