hells angels bikers backed coke ring (dec. 11, 2009)
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7/27/2019 Hells Angels bikers backed coke ring (Dec. 11, 2009)
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Bikers backed coke ring?
Pair of Hells Angels allegedly entered agreement to help traffic cocaine in
Fort McMurray, judge hears
By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU
Last Updated: December 11, 2009 3:11am
Two Hells Angels from the Edmonton chapter allegedly partnered up with a Fort McMurraydrug kingpin to ensure his cocaine-trafficking operation ran smoothly.
That's what a federal prosecutor said yesterday at the start of a lengthy trial for the pair of
outlaw bikers on drug-dealing conspiracy and criminal organization charges, while giving anoverview of the case to the judge.
The full-patch Hells Angels are Alan Peter Knapczyk, 35, and John Reginald Alcantara, 37,and the head of the Fort McMurray drug gang is Jeffrey Mark Caines, 36, who earlier pleadedguilty to trafficking cocaine, but is currently disputing certain parts of an agreed statement of facts.
Alcantara -- who was handed a 14-year prison sentence last Friday after being convicted of conspiring to traffic cocaine -- yesterday pleaded guilty to an identical charge.
He admitted he had entered into an agreement to assist Caines traffic cocaine in FortMcMurray, but said he is not accepting that Knapczyk was part of it.
Alcantara pleaded not guilty to charges of trafficking cocaine and committing an offence inassociation with a criminal organization while Knapczyk entered not guilty pleas to all threecharges.
Prosecutor Dennis Hrabcak told Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sheila Greckol the Crowntheory is that Alcantara and Knapczyk conspired with Caines to traffic cocaine in the FortMcMurray area at a kilo and multi-kilo level.
Hrabcak said Caines was the head of a criminal organization that bought and sold cocaineusing a network of suppliers, distributors and couriers that he had set up.
He told the judge Caines made a 2005 agreement with members of the Hells Angels Nomadchapter and said Alcantara and Knapczyk eventually took over the agreement after adisagreement between the Edmonton Hells Angels and the Nomads over control of theagreement.
Court heard the agreement involved the removal of any rivals of Caines's drug gang, ensuringother suppliers in the area did not undercut his business and the protection of Caines and hisdistributors for a weekly fee of $20,000.
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"Essentially it gave Caines free rein to supply cocaine in the specified area and protection for those he supplied," said Hrabcak. "In return he paid a fee or tax to the individuals. Thereputation of the Hells Angels was used to enforce the agreement."
The prosecutor alleged Alcantara, who was then a prospect for the Hells Angels and
sponsored by Knapczyk, was the front man in the agreement and collected the weekly feewhile Knapczyk was the enforcer behind the scenes.
Court heard the evidence in the case will come from intercepted communications from a police wiretap operation, cocaine seizures, surveillance from police investigators and bothcivilian and expert witnesses.
The trio were part of a large group of drug dealers taken down in a 23-month jointinvestigation by various Canadian police agencies known as Project KOKER.
Source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/edmonton/2009/12/11/12117791-sun.html