18 charged in Hells Angels bust

Police say their two-year investigation of the East End chapter of the Hells Angels has led to the arrests of 17 club members or friends of the gang. An 18th man remains at large.

Police display drugs, money and weapons seized during a 23-month investigation of the Hells Angels in Vancouver. (CP photo)

The charges follow raids on Hells Angel clubhouses in Vancouver and Kelowna on Friday.

• FROM JULY 15, 2005: Police raid Hells Angels clubhouse

And RCMP Const. Cam Kowalski says the accused also face charges of being members of a criminal organization.

"As a result of the evidence collected, we are charging that the East End chapter of the Hells Angels is a criminal organization as is defined by the Criminal Code of Canada," he said.

"This is the first instance, to my knowledge, the criminal organization provisions of the Criminal Code have been applied to the Hells Angels in British Columbia."

Most of those charged are "full patch" members of the East End Chapter, while others belong to the Vancouver Chapter and the Nomads. The rest are described as friends or "hangarounds."

• LINK: RCMP list of the accused and the charges

The police also seized more than 250 kilograms of methylamine, 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of cocaine and 70 kilograms of marijuana.

As well, police found $200,000 Cdn and a number of weapons including hand guns, fully automatic weapons, silencers, 11 sticks of dynamite with detonation cord and blasting caps, four grenades and an assortment of ammunition.

Most of the 17 suspects were arrested during Friday's raids. Two other men turned themselves in to police on Monday morning.

Police say an 18th man who has been charged remains at large. Kerry Ryan Renaud, 25, is considered armed and dangerous.

" We will just have to see how that turns out in court. I know they laid the charges but I don't know if they are going to be able to make them stick."

• LINK: "The Road to Hell: How the Biker Gangs are Conquering Canada"

An expert on the Hells Angels says Friday's raids show police now have a different attitude toward members of an organization that they have long suspected of criminal activity.

"What's happened in the last couple of years is that the RCMP leadership has re-evaluated. They've decided to make the Hell's Angels a priority," said author Julian Sher.

"And more importantly they've reorganized. They've brought in the best and brightest of biker cops

"These are very calculated, laid out, well thought out police operations. They are going after the Hells Angels systematically."

• INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Kevin Sylvester speaks with Hells Angels expert Julian Sher.