Police say nine men with connections to the Woodbridge chapter of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang have been arrested in Charlottetown.
Members of the P.E.I. Organized Crime Task Force made the arrests overnight and seized several items from a clubhouse.
All nine men have been charged with the following:
- Once count each relating to participation in activities of a criminal organization
- One count each relating to the commission of an offence for a criminal organization.
- One count each relating to lotteries and games of chance
“Some of the charges hold a maximum of 14 years, others have a maximum of two. But they're all very serious charges,” says Deputy Chief Brad MacConnell of Charlottetown Police Services.
Police say the men – ranging in age from 19 to 62 – were held in custody at the Provincial Correctional Centre and scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning.
All have since been released on conditions that include not contacting each other.
Police say all nine are "hangaround" members, which is one of the steps in becoming a full-patch member of the Hells Angels.
“They are not welcome in our province,” says MacConnell. “We made it no secret, our presence around the clubhouse, especially on their meeting nights.”
Charlottetown resident Margaret Dawson says outlaw motorcycle groups have no place on the island and their activities seemed to grow in the spring.
"Things quieted down a lot then because all of their equipment was taken by the police in the raid,” says Dawson.
During the overnight raid, police seized clothing with club colours, cellphones, money, ledgers, and a small knife.
Charlottetown Deputy Police Chief Brad MacConnell says this is the first major arrest since the task force was established in January.
“The Provincial Organized Crime Task Force was struck earlier this year to investigate organized crime activities in the province with an initial focus on one per cent Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs,” Charlottetown Police Services said in a statement.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Cami Kepke.
