PLANE USED TO DELIVER DRUGS

Close Friend of Pilot Reveals Cross-Country Drug Scheme

A small plane which crashed in West Hawk Lake on Monday -- killing two
former Manitoba bikers -- was being used for cross-country drug
trafficking, a source told the Free Press on Thursday.

Joel Maguet, 33, and Dan Atkinson, 42, had been known to take to the
skies to buy and sell drugs, primarily marijuana in Quebec, Ontario
and British Columbia, the source said.

"That's why they didn't file an itinerary," said the close friend of
both men, who agreed to speak with the Free Press on the condition his
name not be published.

The source, an associate of the Manitoba Hells Angels who visited
regularly with Maguet, said he knew all about Maguet's sky-high drug
business.

He said Maguet -- the clear leader behind the operation -- was in big
demand across Canada because of the unusual airplane delivery service
he could offer. Atkinson was considered his "right hand man", said the
source.

In a time when drug-filled semi-trailers are being searched and seized
on a regular basis across Canadian highways, Maguet knew he was
virtually untouchable in the sky, the source said.

"He knew taking up that plane would equal a helluva lot more money,"
he said. "He had connections all over."

Maguet even had a private landing strip built on his expansive farm
property in Ste. Rose Du Lac, the source said.

Maguet was the owner of the plane, a four-seater Mooney Mark 21, and
got his pilot's licence about two months ago, according to family.

RCMP Cpl. Chris Ballard said so far police divers have found nothing
suspicious in what's been recovered so far.

"There is no indication of anything illegal being in the plane," he
said.

But the source insisted there must have been either drugs or cash on
board, depending on whether Maguet had made a drop-off or a pick-up
out east.

Manitoba Conservation announced Thursday that, until further notice,
Jackfish Bay, where the plane crashed, will be closed to activities
such as boating, swimming, scuba diving and hiking. Cottagers will be
allowed into dwellings but access to boathouses and the water is not
allowed.

Witnesses reported finding several pricey pieces of Tommy Hilfiger
clothing found in the water. Maguet was known to have expensive tastes
and was a big fan of the brand, said the gang source.

The source speculated Maguet and Atkinson may have stopped in Thunder
Bay or perhaps in the United States and were deliberately flying low
over the tree tops through the Lake of the Woods to avoid radar detection.

Maguet was a long-time member of the Spartans motorcycle gang, which
disbanded in January 1999.

Maguet was arrested in 2001 after police found a hydroponics drug
operation constructed in eight railway box cars buried three metres
underground on a rural property near Dauphin.

RCMP found more than 1,400 marijuana plants worth an estimated $1.4
million.

Maguet was convicted in 2002 and sentenced to five years and three
months in prison. He is believed to have been released on parole in
2004.

Police sources said Atkinson was a former member of the Spartans and
bit player in the biker world a decade ago who did not have an
extensive criminal record.

Maguet had spent last weekend at his ranch, on the western shore of
Lake Manitoba, in the area known as the Narrows.

His father, Maurice, is the reeve of the RM of Ste. Rose du
Lac.

"That family, they're the most straight-laced family you'll find.
They're just devastated," said the gang source.