B.C. RCMP say any biker organization with a three piece patch has to be associated with the Hells Angels to get it approved. This photo, and those below, were shot in the Okanagan.

Image Credit: Submitted/RCMP Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

- This story was originally published Jan. 18, 2022.

Just because the Hells Angels aren’t roaring past on their Harleys, showing their colours and stirring up trouble doesn’t mean they’re not major players in the Okanagan lifestyle.

Even in the summer, they’re not likely to be all that noticeable and they’re highly unlikely to be rowdy.

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have a huge influence on the drug trade throughout B.C. and that doesn’t mean they don’t own and run numerous legitimate businesses in the Okanagan.

“They could be your next door neighbour and you probably would never know,” Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, media relations officer for the RCMP’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, told iNFOnews.ca. “Generally speaking, they don’t like the attention of violence because it brings that attention on them. They have the ability to be as successful and powerful as they are by keeping a lower profile.”

They even do community events, like toy runs, although those have been cut back because of COVID and they want to seen as obeying public health orders, she said.

But there’s a double meaning behind such community activities.

“They want the public to feel like they’re the good guys, or they’re just motorcycle enthusiasts,” Winpenny said. “They really insulate themselves from the violence and the attention from the media when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

But they also want to send a message.

“The sole purpose of those rides, when they do them, is that intimidation factor,” she said. “They want the public to fear them. They want to be seen as these rebels and people not to mess with.”

Not that they will necessarily do the dirty work themselves. They have lots of friends and associates who can do that for them.

There are less than 50 actual members of the Hells Angels and their support clubs that the RCMP know of in the Kelowna area.

Image Credit: Submitted/RCMP Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

“This may seem like a low number but keep in mind the significant reach these clubs have around the world with associates, friends and the overall global network,” Winpenny said. “There’s a lot of money in the drug trade so there’s a lot of individuals involved in criminality, such as there is in Vancouver or anywhere else.”

They also own a number of legitimate businesses ranging from cafes and dry cleaners to motorcycle and mechanic shops.

“You name it, they own or are involved in mainstream business that are a guide to their ability to continue with their criminal operations and to launder their money,” Winpenny said.

The most visible ramification of how deadly gang activities can be was demonstrated at the Grand Okanagan Hotel in downtown Kelowna when Jonathan Bacon was shot dead in the summer of 2011.

He was representing the Red Scorpions in three-way “love pact” talks to merge with the Hells Angels, represented by Larry Amero and the Independent Soldiers, represented by James Riach, Winpenny said.

Bacon died, Amero and two women were injured and Riach was uninjured. Jason McBride was sentenced to life in prison and two others got 18-year sentences.

READ MORE: BACON SHOOTING TRIAL: Gangsters sentenced after pleading guilty to lesser charges

Winpenny couldn’t say whether anything ever come of the merger talks.

“There’s always infighting and they’re always changing allegiances and alliances, then it filters down to the street level violence we see," she said. “People getting involved in gangs and the drug trade, it’s solely about ego, making money, the sense that they are better than everybody else and that they don’t abide by the norms of society or the laws, like the rest of us do.”

There have been some recent incidents locally that seem to have links to gangs.

On July 31, an attempt was made to kill Kyle Gianis who had suspected criminal connections. He and another man were shot and wounded near Pandosy Street in Kelowna and a suspected bomb was detonated by an RCMP bomb squad.

READ MORE: RCMP say explosive device used in targeted Kelowna attack marks 'dramatic escalation in violence'

This was not the first assassination attempt on Gianis, who was found dead a few days later near Enderby.

On Dec. 20, two men were shot in a West Kelowna parking lot. Both were victims of the same attack, RCMP said at the time, but they could not say for sure it was gang related.

READ MORE: RCMP say men shot in West Kelowna were both victims

There are certainly drug busts on an ongoing basis throughout the region, which Winpenny attributes directly to the Hells Angels.

“They are the dominant force when it comes to organized crime and the drug trade,” she said. “They control that market. They have a very prominent presence throughout the province. It’s long been established and documented, their history of extortion, involvement in the exotic dancing clubs, assault, involvement in murder investigations, money laundering, the drug trade.”

Image Credit: Submitted/RCMP Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit

Whether someone is buying illegal cannabis, snorting coke or taking ecstasy, there’s likely a Hells Angels connection, Winpenny said.

“Make no mistake, the current opioid crisis that we have is the direct result of the Hells Angels and their ability to import drugs from all over the world,” she said. “The drugs on our streets, ultimately, can be filtered up and connected to the Hells Angels.”

While the Hells Angels experienced supply chain issues like any other importer because of COVID, they have alternative routes to make sure the supply continued.

“What I can tell you, anecdotally, is that during this period of the pandemic, some jurisdictions throughout the province have seen an increase in domestic production of synthetic drugs cut with a number of different products and/or containing fentanyl,” Winpenny said.

That means a lawyer snorting a line of coke or a professional taking ecstasy runs the risk of having it laced with deadly fentanyl.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit has its own website with a number of videos highlighting problems with gang involvement. They are also working on a documentary video on outlaw motorcycle gangs but can’t use the Hells Angels logo because it is protected by trademark.

Any biker club that has a similar three-piece patch has to get that authorized by the Hells Angels and, therefore, have to be associated with them, Winpenny said.

She encourages anyone with concerns about gang activities to contact the unit or leave tips on CrimeStoppers.

Despite the belief and evidence that the Hells Angels are heavily involved in criminal activity, the RCMP has not been able to shut them down in B.C.

“Police investigations have been harder and harder to complete,” Winpenny said. “The legalities of disclosure, on how police officer have to gather evidence, present it to Crown Counsel and then it has to go through the judicial process, so it’s very complex. These investigations are long term and don't necessarily have the best outcomes at the end of it. In B.C., we’re still trying to get a criminal organization designation for the Hells Angels. It hasn’t been successfully done yet in B.C. The Hell’s Angels continue to be a dominant force. As determined as they are to continue with their criminal enterprise, so are the police in terms of trying to hold them accountable for that.”

For more on the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, go here.

The Hells Angels have their own website, here.

The website says the Hells Angels have 467 chapters in 59 countries on five continents, gives a detailed history of the organization and answers some questions, such as how to join the club.

“If you have to ask, you probably will not understand the answer,” it says, in part.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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