British Columbia police are concerned the outlaw motorcycle club is expanding its criminal reach in the province
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New motorcycle clubs linked to the notorious Hells Angels are springing up across the province, alarming police who believe the older gang is expanding its reach.
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Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, of the Combined Forces Anti-Gang Special Enforcement Unit, says there are now about 30 of the booster clubs, or “stooges,” in BC, compared to 10 chapters of the Hells Angels.
“Four or five new ones have appeared on the Lower Continent in the last year,” he said. “The farm equipment system for HAs is very much alive and well.”
New groups include the Smoke Show, an all-female riding club, the Commandos, and another called the Krusherz.
Houghton said six of the roughly 30 booster clubs “identify themselves as members of the One Percent, so they wear the little One Percent diamond on their leather vest.” That means they identify as “outlaw” motorcycle clubs, she said, from the expression that dates back to the formation of the Hells Angels in 1948.
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After more than two years of COVID restrictions, the Hells Angels and their supporters are putting on big “rides” and other events that have been canceled during the pandemic. That has allowed police to gather information about how the landscape of motorcyclists has changed.
Many of the new puppet clubs are showing up at Hells Angels events, Houghton said.
“The concern, as these clubs proliferate, is that the people in these clubs will continually confirm their dedication, their loyalty and their submission to the Hells Angels,” Houghton said.
He said the Hells Angels, subject to ongoing criminal cases and a variety of charges including conspiracy to kill and cocaine importation, find puppet clubs useful.
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“Often in booster clubs, these are people that some consider to be, quote unquote, normal people with regular jobs,” he said. “They work in various industries. They work in the government. They can have access to the information.”
“The Hells Angels and other OMGs (outlaw motorcycle clubs) look for these people in these groups so they can infiltrate and exploit. And the concern for us is always access to information, the risk to public safety, the risks to privacy.”
He cited a United Nations gang associate who got a contact at ICBC to look up addresses of people at the BC Institute of Justice and then launched a series of attacks on their homes a decade ago. He was eventually caught and pleaded guilty.
Postmedia contacted Hells Angels BC spokesman Rick Ciarniello about the booster clubs. He did not answer.
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Last week, Houghton said the Throttle Lockers puppet club, which had tried to expand in Kamloops, had all but disappeared after a major CFSEU drug investigation resulted in charges against two of its former members and an associate.
Other puppet clubs have also been the target of criminal investigations. Devil’s Army Chairman Richard Alexander faces a first-degree murder charge in the 2016 slaying of John Dillon Brown on Vancouver Island. His trial is scheduled for February 2023. A Krusherz member’s Instagram account promoted a fundraising campaign for Alexander’s legal fees.
Brad Stephen, a retired Vancouver police motorcycle specialist, said puppet clubs weren’t common in BC until the last decade, “due to the fact that they’re kind of a conduit into the Hells Angels and there are some vulnerabilities there.” ”.
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“I think the perception of the Hells Angels has been that it’s an easier way to be infiltrated by the police or other nefarious underworld characters.”
In recent years, however, the benefits to motorcyclists have outweighed the risk.
Stephen said the Hells Angels use booster clubs to screen potential members who could be promoted to the HA.
“You can look at his street credibility. You can see its hardness. They can look at your ability to earn money. And it’s, it’s really a recruiting process,” she said.
There is a hierarchy within the puppet clubs, who must get permission from the Hells Angels to start with a one-piece patch on their vests and then a two-piece and finally a three-piece patch, like the one called ” full-patch” worn by HA members, Stephen said.
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“And then the highest level is a three-piece patch with one MC and one percent,” Stephen said. “That’s the great thing about puppet clubs…there are probably four or five of those top-tier clubs in BC.”
Puppet clubs try to ingratiate themselves with the Angels. Some ultimately want access to the criminal network of bikers, she said.
“They are super motivated and eager to help out at the anniversary parties, in Hells Angel it runs safely, with traffic control. They will provide bartender service, car service. They often don’t drink at parties,” Stephen said. “Basically, they are the lackeys of the club.”
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