INFORMANT CRACKS HELLS AGAIN

Project Drill Leads To Big Seizures, Arrest Of Gang's Local President

THE Hells Angels have been penetrated by a police informant for the
second time in as many years -- a sign the province's most-feared gang
is also the most vulnerable to law enforcement.

The work of the secret agent, plus phone wiretaps and undercover
surveillance, saw the gang's newly elected president Dale "Deli"
Donovan hauled away from the gang's Scotia Street clubhouse early
Wednesday morning.

The year-long investigation, dubbed Project Drill, also saw 18 other
gang members and associates charged with multiple offences, including
three people in Thompson with conspiracy to commit murder.

The arrests come just days after Hells Angel associate Bekim Zeneli
was shot to death in Thompson. RCMP arrested a 40-year-old man for
questioning last weekend but released him without charge.

The Free Press has learned that man is Thompson resident Sean
Heickert. His brother, James, is a full-patch Hells Angels member from
Oshawa, Ont. who is one of the men charged this week with the murder
conspiracy.

RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Line Karpish downplayed any link between Project
Drill and Zeneli's unsolved slaying.

"The target of the conspiracy is very much alive," Karpish
said.

Zeneli's widow, Samantha Collier, said she's also been told by police
none of the arrests had anything to do with her husband's murder.

"I'm praying that they will solve his case soon -- this is way too
hard to deal with at this time of year," she said. "Bekim and I have
two children, our daughter is one and our son is four."

Sources told the Free Press Zeneli may have been a target of the
ongoing police investigation and had been recently warned by officers
that his life could be in danger.

It's not clear whether his killing prompted police to wrap up Project
Drill before they were ready.

Police said the latest arrests -- 14 people were in custody as of last
night, four were still being sought -- will be a blow to the Hells
Angels as it's the second time their president was the target in a
police sting since the gang set up shop in the city almost seven years
ago.

A similar joint police operation dubbed Project Defence saw the gang's
then-president Ernie Dew, two other members and 10 associates targeted
in February 2006.

Dew was booted out of the gang to be replaced by Donovan.

Project Drill started Tuesday evening with arrests in Thompson and
continued throughout the night and early morning in Winnipeg and St.
Pierre-Jolys.

A 35-year-old member of the Kelowna Hells Angels was also arrested in
that city and a 29-year-old man was later arrested in north Vancouver.

During the course of Project Drill, police seized 11 kilograms of
cocaine, 13 pounds of marijuana, 2,000 tablets of methamphetamine,
five machine-guns, three handguns, $70,000 cash and several vehicles.

Hells Angels prospect member Al LeBras was arrested at his Barber
Street home in Wednesday's raids. LeBras, 56, is one the city's
original bikers.

Police also took over the Hells Angels clubhouse on Scotia Street,
spending several hours searching it Wednesday while seizing gang
documents and paraphernalia.

The recently amended Criminal Property Forfeiture Act gives the
province the power to seize it as proceeds of crime, in keeping with
what has already happened in other Canadian cities. Whether that
happens remains to be seen.

Police believe some of the accused were involved in high-level drug
and weapons trafficking. A Minnesota man was caught last month
allegedly trying to smuggle guns into Canada.

All the accused will make their first court appearances this morning
in Winnipeg.

"They've apparently got a binder full of material and a hard drive
ready for us," said defence lawyer John Weinstein.

The case is giving many in Manitoba's legal system a feeling of deja
vu.

It was in February 2006 that police capped off Project Defence by
arresting 13 Manitoba Hells Angels and associates following a
year-long undercover probe that involved paying career criminal Franco
Atanasovic $525,000 to infiltrate the gang.

There have been 10 convictions to date, with full-patch member Ian
Grant getting the longest sentence of 15 years. Dew's trial is ongoing.

Justice sources told the Free Press Wednesday that Project Drill --
which began in November 2006 -- used many of the same methods as
Project Defence.

But no one believes this will be the knockout punch against the gang.
Under Donovan's leadership a Nomads chapter was set up to work
alongside Hells Angels in Regina, extending the local chapter's influence.

Crown attorney Chris Mainella will lead the prosecution, just as he
did in the Project Defence case. He told the Free Press the accused
will likely be broken into several smaller groups that will be tried
separately.