With Hells Angels members gathering in Metro Vancouver this weekend, regional police say their numbers have been bolstered with officers from across Canada to keep an eye on the bikers.
The club is set to celebrate its 40-year anniversary of being in B.C., with a gathering at their White Rock clubhouse in Langley and at other locations around the Lower Mainland.
“Hells Angels and their support clubs, along with others, will be riding at various locations today and throughout the weekend,” Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) said July 20. “They are also expected to be attending parties at the various Hells Angels clubhouses in Vancouver, Coquitlam, Mission and other jurisdictions where police will be present.”
One large gathering is expected Friday; a large number of bikers will gather in Hope and travel along Highway 7, ending in Haney.
CFSEU-BC said this week’s coordinated police response across B.C. is in support of suppressing and disrupting the outlaw motorcycle gang members’ ability to conduct activities that may put the public at risk.
“It is well documented that many Hells Angels, members of their supporting outlaw motorcycle gangs, and friends and associates, are involved in significant levels of criminal activity, including trafficking potentially deadly fentanyl and violent offences like assaults and homicide,” says CFSEU-BC’s Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton.
“CFSEU-BC’s Outlaw Motorcycle Gang investigators and Uniform Gang Enforcement Team members will be working alongside Langley RCMP and several Lower Mainland and British Columbia RCMP detachment and municipal police agencies, bolstered by officers from the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec and other Canadian police agencies."
Police warned it is possible some will attend restaurants and licensed establishments around the Lower Mainland in jurisdictions where inadmissible patron programs are in place. Police noted they'll assess any potential threat to public safety on a case-by-case basis.
The Hells Angels recently lost a B.C. battle to keep three seized clubhouses from being sold.
