Those Who Ride Bikes in Groups

List of Articles: There is an earlier compilation below.

* Those Who Ride Bikes in Groups

* Globe and Mail Launches Investigative Series on Hells Angels

* Part I: Iona Station, Ont. — This is where the war began

* When Hell comes to town -- The Hells Angels' Ontario invasion is sometimes raw and violent, sometimes slick and quiet -- canada.com

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Globe and Mail Launches Investigative Series on Hells Angels

Globe and Mail Launches Investigative Series on Hells Angels

TORONTO, July 16 /CNW/ - Starting this Saturday, July 17, The Globe and Mail, Canada's National Newspaper, will launch a four-part series on the Hells Angels. Through in-depth investigative reports, the newspaper will explore the biker gang's expansion in Ontario, its control of a cocaine empire, and the unique challenges it presents to police and prosecutors.

"Most Canadians have no appreciation of the scope of the Hells Angels' criminal activities or of the aggressive and sophisticated expansion of its operations in Canada," said Edward Greenspon, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail. "Not only does this series look at how the Hells Angels operate but also at the devastating impact they have on communities and individuals."

The Hells Angels Series 'Power of the Patch' will examine:

- the development of the Hells Angels' massive cocaine business in Ontario;

- the two very different responses of two Canadian cities to the presence of the Hells Angels in their community;

- how Walter Stadnick, 'the ambassador of the Hells Angels', has helped build a nation-wide criminal organization;

- the life of a drug dealer formerly associated with the Hells Angels now turned police informant;

- the regrets of a businessman who was extorted by the Hells Angels, agreed to testify against them, and today is in a witness protection program;

- and the challenges facing law enforcement in prosecuting the gang.

Part I: Iona Station, Ont. — This is where the war began.

Part I: Iona Station, Ont. — This is where the war began. Timothy Appleby and Michael den Tandt, Globe and Mail, July 17, 04

It was Oct. 22, 1999, a blustery Friday. Wayne (Wiener) Kellestine, the grizzled boss of the St. Thomas Loners and one of the most feared bikers in Ontario, was off to a wedding.

For weeks, the world's most powerful biker gang had courted the Loners, hoping to assimilate them and gain a beachhead in the lucrative Southwestern Ontario drug trade. For weeks, thanks to Mr. Kellestine's obdurate sense of independence, they had failed.

But within moments of his 4-by-4 pulling up to the deserted crossroad in this sleepy hamlet southwest of London, Ont., Mr. Kellestine would discover an elemental truth about the Hells Angels: They don't take no for an answer.

Before it was over, this bustling city of 360,000 would see an unprecedented — for Ontario — mobilization of public opinion against outlaw bikers. The Hells Angels nonetheless succeeded in becoming the dominant organized criminal presence in the area, as they have across Canada. [. . . . ]

But for the most part, London's Hells Angels are staying out of the public eye. As they burrow deeper into the community and become more adept at insulating themselves with proxies, they're getting harder to stop. The big reason is fear — the power of the patch.

"Guys don't want to tell," one police officer flatly declared.

"You do your six months, nine months, 18 months, get out in good time, you're in good standing with the club. Anybody in their right mind would take that over giving evidence and putting up with what the H.A. would do to you."

When Hell comes to town -- The Hells Angels' Ontario invasion is sometimes raw and violent, sometimes slick and quiet.

When Hell comes to town July 17, 2004, Timothy Appleby and Michael den Tandt tell the tales of two cities

Although their formal presence in London dates back only three years, the Hells Angels now have extensive interests in the city's strip clubs, tattoo parlours and half-dozen exotic-massage joints (called "rub 'n' tugs" by the locals). They or their associates hold interests in at least two car dealerships. They're deeply involved, police say, in intimidation and extortion. And, as in the rest of Ontario, they do a booming trade in cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and prescription drugs.

Nowadays, London's Hells Angels and their associates rarely swill cheap beer in dingy bars with their Harleys parked outside, sources say. They drive BMWs and Hummers and frequent martini bars with dress codes. Their links with legitimate businesses are extensive.

Indeed, some wealthy Angels associates here are more influential than many full-patch gang members, sources say. They choose not to wear a patch because "they don't want the heat," a police officer says.

But for all their wealth, the Hells Angels' hold on the city's underworld is still founded on the threat of mayhem. In contrast to nearby communities such as Kitchener-Waterloo -- where the Angels vigorously promote themselves as good citizens -- intimidation, beatings and other violence, much of it drug-related, are common.

[. . . . ] "What we hear on the street is that 80 to 90 per cent of the cocaine is coming through the H.A.," said a police officer attached to the local Biker Enforcement Unit. "When you arrest someone in possession of cocaine and ask them, it's usually the same thing: 'It's Hells Angels coke.' "

The series includes:

[July 17] Front: An empire of cocaine

Focus: A tale of two cities

MONDAY: Ambassador for the Hells Angels

TUESDAY: The perils of testifying against a Hells Angel

THURSDAY: The challenge of putting outlaw bikers behind bars