Wanted on a Canada-wide warrant - Marvin OUIMET

• Murder,
• Gangsterism,
• Drug trafficking, Conspiracy to commit Murder and
• Conspiracy to commit Drug trafficking

Marvin Ouimet is known to participate in various criminal activities involving Hell’s Angels. Due to the extent of these activities, the SharQc Operation was established to destabilize Québec’s Hell’s Angels criminal actions. Ouimet is wanted in connection with this operation.
Ouimet is the president of the Hell’s Angels Trois-Rivières Chapter and of the East Coast. He might own a property in Dominican Republic and he speaks French.
Date issued: 2009-04-06
Description:

• White Male
• Date of Birth: 1969-05-24
• Height: 5' 06" (168 cm)
• Weight: 254 lbs (115 kg)
• Hair: Brown
• Eyes: Hazel (possibly Brown)
• Distinctive Characteristics: Tattoos:
  • Chest: 2 large tattoos on the chest of winged skulls facing each other
  • Left shoulder blade: Tweedy Bird
  • Back of left upper arm: “Hells” with flames in black and red
  • Back of right upper arm: “Angels” with flames in black and red
  • Abdomen: 3 letter tattoo that includes the letters “A” and “M”
  • Prior tattoos no longer existing (are now covered by the new tattoos mentioned above)
    • Left arm: “Rowdey”
    • Right arm: “Crew”)
    • Left side of chest: Crest of Rowdey Crew)
• Might have both ears pierced
• Aliases:
  • Ouimet, Normand Marvin
  • Kasper
  • Casper
  • Andy

Canada Wide Warrants for these Hells Angels

Tensions among rival gangs such as 'Hells Angels', 'Rock Machine', 'Zig Zag Crew' and 'Redlined' is extremely volatile.

 Tensions among rival gangs such as 'Hells Angels', 'Rock Machine', 'Zig Zag Crew' and 'Redlined' is extremely volatile. These are just a few of the many existing gangs which are continually becoming sophisticated in their methods of operating. 
These gangs are usually engaged in drug distribution, prostitution and theft. Estimates show Aboriginal gangs are quickly migrating eastward from Winnipeg into northwestern Ontario as well as spreading as far north as Iqaluit, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Inuvik. With a high Aboriginal population, Winnipeg appears to be a convenient nucleus for native gangs. But, as this phenomenon is not restricted to only Winnipeg, it remains questionable whether attaching this stereotype to native peoples is justified.
"If we are going to racialize crime, remember that between jails and prisons some 80 per cent of all prisoners in Canada are white," said Dr. Tamari Kitossa, a sociology professor at Brock University. "Crime is an abstract noun and as such it is not possible for one group of people to commit it more than others." 
At an Aboriginal policy conference in Ottawa two weeks ago, it was said that Aboriginal youth membership in gangs could double in the next 10 years. A paper by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD), "Social Challenges: The Well-being of Aboriginal People," indicates that Aboriginal people are three times more likely than non-Aboriginals to be victims of violent crime. Statistics from Correctional Service Canada show that while Aboriginal people represent only 2.8 per cent of the Canadian population, they account for 18 per cent of those who are incarcerated in federal institutions. In the Prairie provinces, 50 per cent of prisoners are Aboriginals. 
The CCSD paper adds that population growth also accounts for why Aboriginals are over-represented in crime statistics. While population growth has declined for other groups in Canada, the Aboriginal population is still experiencing a baby boom. This leaves them with more young people who, faced with past and current discrimination, prejudice and deprivation, encounter additional challenges today.
These statistics and information seem to racialize gang violence and treat Aboriginal people as 'criminogenic' - as a group more likely to exhibit criminal tendencies. By doing so, Kitossa thinks we might be demonizing the youth and treating the symptom of the problem as the cause.

Richard Coelho, 52, was sentenced to 26 months in prison after being convicted on charges of coercion and unlawful use of a weapon

Richard Coelho, 52, was sentenced to 26 months in prison after being convicted on charges of coercion and unlawful use of a weapon. Coelho was convicted by a Josephine County jury in February, the final case in a multi-year prosecution of the North Valley Chapter of the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Club.Six other members of the Vagos have been convicted by the Oregon Department of Justice as part of the case. The charges stem from two incidents in 2007, one in which the Vagos forced another member out of the gang, then attempted to rob him of his motorcycle, and another in which Coelho chased two individuals with a sawed-off shotgun."Outlaw motorcycle gangs pose a major threat to public safety," said Attorney General John Kroger. "This case put a major dent in outlaw motorcycle gang activity in Southern Oregon."
The other Vagos gang members who were prosecuted include Chris Jorgenson, 43, who was sentenced to 70 months in prison for robbery, coercion and burglary; Chris Church, 44, who was sentenced to 70 months in prison for kidnapping and coercion (two counts); Gary Jones, 63, who was sentenced to probation for coercion; and James Lloyd, 52, who was convicted at trial and sentenced to probation for robbery and coercion. Jack Sanders, 49, and Bob Moore, 56, who were each convicted of coercion (two counts), have not yet been sentenced.Testimony established that the Vagos members considered themselves a 1 percent club, a reference to a 1960s claim that 99 percent of motorcyclists are law-abiding citizens, but the last 1 percent are outlaws.The Coelho case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorneys General Michael Slauson and Scott Jackson of the Criminal Justice Division of the Oregon Department of Justice. The Criminal Justice Division focuses on public corruption and government misconduct, complex drug cases, organized crime and gangs, mortgage fraud and Internet sex predators.

Vagos is California’s largest motorcycle gang. Known for violence, the gang specializes in the sale of methamphetamine that includes the tri-state area of Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

Southern California there is a police department that is currently on its highest terror alert status as police officers on and off duty guard against terror attacks specifically aimed at their police department and their community. A 911 call to a police operator from an unidentified caller that threatened the blowing up of a police car in the Hemet-San Jacinto area within the next 24 to 48 hours has an entire police force on edge.
Police Chief Richard Dana verified that the caller said the attack would be in retaliation for the recent law enforcement sweep against the Vagos Motorcycle Club.According to Captain Walter Meyer of the Riverside County Sheriffs Department, the Vagos is California’s largest motorcycle gang. Known for violence, the gang specializes in the sale of methamphetamine that includes the tri-state area of Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
On Wednesday About 30 members of the Vagos, were arrested in Riverside County following a sting operation that involved the manufacturing, sale and distribution of methamphetamine in the aforementioned tri-state area. Police investigators believe that the gang is responsible for setting a couple of booby traps that were designed to kill and maim police officers. The first trap involved inserting a natural gas pipe through a drilled hole in the roof of the headquarters of the police “Gang enforcement unit”. Investigators have concluded that the gang intended to create an explosion caused by gas fumes and a spark.The second booby trap involved a zip gun type device being attached to a sliding security fence around the department building. An unsuspecting police officer opened the black steel gate and triggered the mechanism, which sent a bullet flying within eight inches of his face. In the end, civilians and police officers who worked at the California gang enforcement unit were fortunate to escape two close calls that were intended to cause death, injuries and destruction. It appears that criminals in the United States have adopted and implemented terroristic tactics learned from studying insurgents who have dedicated their life to killing our troops in the streets and deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan.Police Chief Dana, along with District Attorney Rod Pacheco and state Attorney General Jerry Brown urged the public at a recent news conference to help with identifying and capturing the person or persons responsible for the Hemet-area booby traps aimed at officers and civilians. Several state, local and national police agencies have banded together to put forward a $200,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The incidents have shaken a close-knit police department already demoralized by deep budget cuts that last year that saw its officer personnel numbers slashed by 25 percent. Police officers in response to the impending danger are checking under cars for bombs and scouting for other potential hazards."I would call the mood in the department tense," says police Captain Tony Marghis. "Everyone is being very vigilant about their surroundings and the environment."According to the Los Angeles Times, California's Attorney General Jerry Brown said Thursday that the incidents were a form of "urban terrorism."It is incredible and even unprecedented for police officers here to be subjected to a terrorist attack," Brown was quoted in the Times. "We have seen it south of the border but not here yet."
What is apparent is that domestic criminals are now singling out an entire police department for death in retaliation for police doing what they were sworn to do; which is to serve and protect the public. Has the criminal mind determined that terror is their best weapon when confronted by local and state police? Are we witnessing in 2010 an evolution of tactics used by criminals in the inner city and rural community that are here to stay? Once the individual(s) are apprehended should they be treated as any other enemy combatant that tries to kill Americans? As always, the New Orleans Examiner.Com is interested in what you think. Inquiring minds want to know. Sound off.

"crazy, like raging bulls" with "fists smashing into each other's bodies".

Evidence from more than 300 anonymous witnesses is the backbone of the case against 13 bikies accused over the Sydney Airport melee that a year ago today left Hells Angels associate Anthony Zervas dead.

One witness, numbered 301, alleges the participants were "crazy, like raging bulls" with "fists smashing into each other's bodies".The details of the Crown case can be revealed for the first time today from a brief of evidence tendered to Central Local Court ahead of a July committal hearing.In a key plank of their case for murder against all 13 Comanchero members, the Crown alleges bikie boss Mick Hawi was seen swinging a bollard in the direction of Mr Zervas' upper body "as you would putting or doing a chip shot".
"[He] didn't lift the stand high ... but he swung it very powerfully," witness 99 told police in a statement.
Witness 270 alleged at least two people were attacking Mr Zervas, one "bashing downwards with a bollard" and up to three more attacking him on the ground.Police have descriptions consistent with men from both sides - including Comanchero Christian Menzies and Mr Zervas' brother Peter - using bollards "as makeshift weapons". The prosecution alleges Mr Zervas died from both blunt trauma to his head and three stab wounds to his chest and abdomen.One wound was allegedly inflicted by a pair of scissors found with broken handles in Mr Zervas' own clothing while the other two were likely caused by a single blade knife.That knife, police said, was retrieved from a drain at Sydney Airport, allegedly dropped there by Comanchero road captain Fares Abounader as he fled the scene.Police will also allege a DNA profile consistent with Hawi was found under Mr Zervas' fingernails.Police allege five Comanchero on QF430 from Melbourne - Hawi, Canan Eken, Christian Menzies, Maher Aouli, and Pomare Pirini - clashed with Hells Angels city chapter president Derek Wainohu on the flight, prompting a flurry of text messages calling for reinforcements for both sides "in anticipation of a potential violent incident". (Wainohu has not been charged).Two Comanchero who have pleaded guilty to riot and affray - Arnold Loto and a man whose identity is suppressed - have given lengthy police interviews claiming Hawi was attacked first, by Mr Zervas who stabbed him in the neck.
Police said they linked others to the scene by what they left behind - Comanchero Tiago Costa a shoe, Eken a satchel and Hells Angel David Padovan his shirtThe other Comanchero accused are Zoran Kisacanin, Usama Potrus, and Francesco LaRosa.

FIVE men, including two Rebels bikies, have been charged with cocaine trafficking

FIVE  men, including two Rebels bikies, have been charged with cocaine trafficking after police smashed a major Wide Bay crime syndicate.Eight Hervey Bay properties, including the Rebels clubhouse at Urangan, were yesterday raided by officers from Brisbane’s OMCG Task Force Hydra and the State Drug Investigation Unit.While no drugs or weapons were found, police seized a large amount of suspected tainted property, including a $40,000 Harley Davidson believed to belong to local Rebels boss Adam McCrea.
McCrea is currently in custody after he was caught driving an unregistered car south of Maryborough last week.Already on Supreme Court bail, the 44-year-old was remanded in custody after police allegedly found cocaine in the vehicle. He was yesterday further charged with trafficking dangerous drugs.Fellow Rebel Mark Berghofer, 47, and an associate, Bradley Cameron, 31, were also charged and did not apply for bail in the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court.Two others, Joshua Carew, 27, and Steven Smith, 24, were released on bail.The arrests came as part of an alleged cocaine trafficking syndicate operating out of the Gold Coast with distribution networks in Hervey Bay.Operation Hotel Formation, which began last July, focused on methyl amphetamine, cocaine and cannabis trafficking across the state and has netted over $1 million in drugs and led to 44 arrests.Detective Inspector Garry Watts of Task Force Hydra described yesterday’s arrests as significant and said they would help drive down organised crime.“We are very pleased with the results that we have with five persons charged with drug trafficking in the local area.”He said the investigation was likely to lead to further arrests.

Lewis allegedly threatened to bring fellow gang members back and stab the men he had argued with.

former nightclub security guard is behind bars today after threatening to bring back members of his outlaw motorcycle gang and stab men still employed there, authorities said.San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies were called to the Teazers Nightclub about 2 a.m. and found 32-year-old Elvis Lewis arguing with members of the security staff. After the fight, Lewis allegedly threatened to bring fellow gang members back and stab the men he had argued with.Sheriff's officials confirmed that Lewis belongs to a motorcycle gang.
The fight started after the club's security team asked Lewis to leave. Lewis used to work as a security guard at the club but officials were unsure why or when his employment there ended.He was booked into the Victor Valley jail on suspicion of making terrorist threats and participating in a criminal street gang.

arrested member of the Mad Dog gang after reports that he fled Belgium following criminal charges

arrested member of the Mad Dog gang after reports that he fled Belgium following criminal charges.

Pattaya 18th February 2010[PDN]: Police Colonel Atiswit Kamonrat Superintendent of Chonburi Immigration, Pattaya and his team stormed a house in Classic Village, Moo.13, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi after reports that a Belgian National whose visa was evoked on the 25th November 2009 had fled his own country whilst facing 14 criminal charges,The suspect who was later identified as Mr. Robert G.A.Verdickt, [54], was born in Wommelgem, Passport No. EG013946 had his visa revoked due to behaviors following substance abuse. He was taken to the immigration office for further investigation.
Police Colonel Atiswit said Mr. Verdickt’s visa had been evoked due to behavior problems related to addictive substances.Between the times of 1985 and 2008, Mr. Verdickt has been charged with possession of illegal firearms, manufacturing, possession and sales of addictive substances, burglary and assault, rape and fake ID.Following 14 further charges, Mr. Verdickt fled his country to hide out in Thailand, establishing a Harley Davidson gang with his friends calling it “MAD DOG”. Police are now investigating the gang leader Mr. Tom and checking his records.

four men are part of a motorbike gang called the “Lone Brother Group.”Pattaya,

Four foreign men have been arrested in Pattaya on Friday wanted in connection with a reported kidnapping and torture of a German national over two years ago. The four men are part of a motorbike gang called the “Lone Brother Group.”Pattaya, the 19th of March 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 5:30pm on Friday, police Colonel Somnuk Changate (Banglamung Police Superintendent) along with police Colonel Atisawit Kamonrat (Chon-Buri Immigration Superintendent) and a joint team of officers arrested 4 motorbike gang members in an unnamed Pattaya village community. The men were wanted in connection with the kidnapping and torture of a foreign man in 2008.With the use of an arrest warrant, following a report filed by Mr. Michael Spinter [37] a German national on the 12th of March 2010, police were able to arrest 5 members of the Lone Brother Group; Mr. Gabriel Frey [40] a Swiss national, Mr. Manfred Decker [52], Mr. Heinz Adam [42], Mr Peter Marzog [46] and Mr. Sven Vehma [42] all of whom are German nationals. Mr. Frey is believed to be the leader of the group which is now known to be a part of the larger “Cycle Club MC” gang. With the use of the aforementioned arrest warrants the police taskforce stormed their Pattaya hideout arresting 4 of the group. Mr. Vehma was able to escape before police arrived at the scene.Mr. Spinter explained, in his statement to Banglamung police, that he was deceived and detained against his will before being tortured repeatedly for a period of 9 hours. He revealed that the group of men responsible for the assault were part of a foreign motorbike gang known as the “Lone Brother Group.” At the time of the incident he stated that 5 men tied him down before breaking his fingers and burning his limbs on a motorbike exhaust. A 120,000 baht ransom was paid to the gang by Mr. Spinter’s Thai wife. The gang had threatened to murder Mr. Spinter and his wife if they reported the incident to police.In a further statement by Mr. Spinter, he revealed that the group, lead by Mr. Frey, also operated a motorbike sales business in Pattaya. According to Mr. Spinter he had engaged Mr. Frey with the intention of purchasing a motorbike from the shop, when the deal did not eventuate; Mr. Frey and his gang proceeded to kidnap, detain and torture Mr. Spinter as a result of the failed dealings, subsequently requesting a ransom.All four arrested men have denied the charges levelled against them, however; police at present have enough evidence and key witnesses to proceed with the case. The arrested gang members have been detained in police custody whilst investigations continue in an attempt apprehend the fifth offender, Mr. Vehma, who managed to escape.

30 members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club were arrested

30 members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club were arrested Wednesday in a multistate police raid that brings new attention to the California-based gang known for its violent past.
The raids that reportedly took place in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California involved some 400 police officers. As many as 70 locations were hit in Southern California, where police seized weapons and drugs and discovered a methamphetamine lab.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown is expected to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to release more details on the scope of the investigation, which official say is intended to eliminate the “threat” posed by the Vagos.
"Within the last few months, the Vagos outlaw motorcycle gang has gotten our significant attention," said Rod Pacheco, district attorney for Riverside, Calif., at a Wednesday press conference. "Today, we’ve delivered and returned some of that significant attention, and we intend to continue in that effort.”
While it's unclear exactly what provoked Wednesday's raids, the operation follows the discovery of at least four booby-traps targeting Southern California gang task force officers. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people who set the traps, which included an attempt to blow up the gang officers' headquarters.
Mr. Pacheco said the operation against the Vagos motorcycle gang will continue until the threat posed “has been eliminated.”
The gang has “hundreds of members in the US and Mexico and poses a serious criminal threat to those areas in which its chapters are located,” according to the US Department of Justice.
The Justice Department’s fact sheet on US motorcycle gangs says the Vagos have at least 24 chapters across the Western US and are known for their involvement in the illegal drug trade. They have been “implicated in other criminal activities including assault, extortion, insurance fraud, money laundering, murder, vehicle theft, witness intimidation and weapons violations,” the Justice Department says.
The Vagos, also known as “Green Nation,” first formed in the late 1960s and has since been the subject of numerous investigations. In 2006, at least 25 Vagos members were arrested for various weapons and drug violations after a three-year investigation that the Orange County Register called one of the “largest coordinated law enforcement probes ever conducted in the region.”
At the time, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) called the group a “ruthless criminal bike gang” that deals in “guns, drugs, and death.”

German Hells Angels gang member was arrested Wednesday after shooting dead a policeman

German Hells Angels gang member was arrested Wednesday after shooting dead a policeman who was about to search his home, prosecutors said.
Without warning, the gunman fired twice through the closed door of his apartment in the town of Anhausen near Koblenz, as a special police squad prepared to enter, state prosecutors said.
The 42-year-old officer, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, was hit at least once and likely died of internal bleeding, investigations showed.
The 43-year-old gang member and his partner were subsequently overpowered and arrested. The man was wanted for questioning in connection with a robbery in the town's red light district.

police served a search warrant at a Hells Angels house on East Bonanza Road in Las Vegas.

Metro Officer Bill Cassell confirms that members of the Hells Angels are accused of embezzling vehicles, firearms, furniture, slot machines, and other items from the Salvation Army.

member of the Mongols motorcycle gang was arrested last week on suspicion of rape and child molestation, Hollister police said Monday. Michael Reyes, 56, was booked into the San Benito County Jail on multiple charges of rape, child molestation and aggravated sexual assault. Police said a victim made a report to police and accused Reyes of multiple sexual assaults that took place during a 10-year period in Hollister, Morgan Hill and Los Banos. Police said Reyes fled form investigators who tried to contact him on March 10, but turned himself in the following day. Reyes is an admitted member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, a known biker gang. At one time, Reyes served as president of a local chapter of the bike gang, police said.

member of the Mongols motorcycle gang was arrested last week on suspicion of rape and child molestation, Hollister police said Monday.

Michael Reyes, 56, was booked into the San Benito County Jail on multiple charges of rape, child molestation and aggravated sexual assault.
Police said a victim made a report to police and accused Reyes of multiple sexual assaults that took place during a 10-year period in Hollister, Morgan Hill and Los Banos.

Police said Reyes fled form investigators who tried to contact him on March 10, but turned himself in the following day.
Reyes is an admitted member of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, a known biker gang.
At one time, Reyes served as president of a local chapter of the bike gang, police said.

"We will burn any pub they drink at, any motel they stay at, and may take it to the extent we will probably try to shoot them off their motorbikes,"

"We will burn any pub they drink at, any motel they stay at, and may take it to the extent we will probably try to shoot them off their motorbikes," Southern Skinheads leader "Max" said on radio.
At the Wellington Interislander ferry terminal yesterday morning, about 25 police, including members of the armed offenders squad, stopped and checked about 20 Hells Angels.
After the checks, roughly half of the bikers rode the remaining few hundred metres to the ferry without helmets.
Acting Wellington emergency response manager Inspector Kevin Riordan said one was arrested for possessing a small amount of cannabis and for thousands of dollars of outstanding fines.
He went peacefully and appeared in Wellington District Court yesterday.
No fines were issued for riders not wearing helmets, Mr Riordan said.
Police stopped five people for driving on the wrong kind of motorbike licence. Others paid up cash on the spot to settle outstanding fines.
Mr Riordan said the operation was really a traffic stop which included ensuring all the bikes were roadworthy and there were no problems.
"The armed offenders squad were there for the protection of police officers. We're dealing with a criminal gang."

Alleged associate of the Hells Angels who was acquitted of drug trafficking has had his acquittal overturned

 Alleged associate of the Hells Angels who was acquitted of drug trafficking has had his acquittal overturned and a new trial ordered.

Reasons for the decision released by the B.C. Court of Appeal on Friday concerning Nima Ghavami were not immediately available.

Ghavami, wearing a suit and tie, was in court for the brief announcement. Outside court he had no comment.

In July 2005, Ghavami was one of more than a dozen men charged during the RCMP's Project E-Pandora crackdown on the East End chapter of the notorious motorcycle club.

The case was split into multiple indictments and Ghavami's case, in which he was charged with trafficking in methamphetamines, was adjourned a number of times.

In December 2008, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Leask ruled that Ghavami's rights had been violated due to an unreasonable delay, with the judge blaming prosecutors for much of the 44-month delay.

Prosecutors appealed the ruling and in January argued before the B.C. Court of Appeal that Leask had made a number of errors.

Southern Skinheads gang had threatened to attack Hells Angels members

 local Southern Skinheads gang had threatened to attack Hells Angels members if they turned out for the Poker Run ride from Nelson to Tapawera and back.Police say there were approximately 130 motorcycles involved in the run and about 35-40 gang patches from both the Hells Angels and the Red Devils.Police say generally the run was well behaved and there were no complaints or incidents involving motorcyclists on the run. They say there were no arrests or confrontation involving any other gang or groups.The Southern Skinheads reportedly believed the Hells Angels would bring drugs with them, including P. The Skinheads had allegedly threatened to fire shots and burn down bars and clubs. Nelson Mayor Kerry Marshall said he was confident police were on top of the situation and a police operation was put in place to deal with any possible violence.A spokesman says the event was under control throughout Saturday afternoon.Nelson City councillors said there had been no trouble in the centre of Nelson or in nearby Stoke.Councillor Ian Barker says he saw motorcyclists in Stoke sitting beside their bikes, not causing any problems. He says the event had been planned to raise funds for St John Ambulance.Barker says the charity refused to accept any money after the threats of violence were made

Hells Angels members get short jail sentences

Hells Angels members get short jail sentences Friday for serious drug trafficking offences, rather than the lengthy prison terms the Crown had urged.B.C. Justice Peter Leask decided a number of mitigating factors would reduce the sentences of Hells Angels members John Virgil Punko and Randy Richard Potts, including Potts' chronic back pain and a recurring abscess on his buttocks that causes him considerable pain and discomfort.

The judge sentenced Potts to one year in jail, which was much less than the 12 years requested by federal prosecutor Martha Devlin.

Punko, 43, was handed a 14-month sentence. The Crown had asked for 16 years.

During sentencing, Leask said both bikers were "pawns of police" because they were low-level targets used to try to get to high-level targets within Vancouver's East End chapter of the Hells Angels.

The bikers were charged in 2005 after a two-year $10-million police investigation code-named Project E-Pandora. A total of six Hells Angels and 13 associates were charged.

RCMP Insp. Gary Shinkaruk, the officer in charge of the investigation, said there were obvious discrepancies between Friday's sentences and the long prison terms requested by the Crown.

"We certainly respect the position of the court," he said. "Sentencing is extremely complex. I would never question what a judge brings down."

Asked about Potts and Punko being called "pawns of police" by the judge, Shinkaruk said: "Investigating criminal organizations is extremely complicated... We certainly worked within the means of the law."

Potts and Punko pleaded guilty last Dec. 7 to trafficking cocaine, possessing more than $387,000 cash that was the proceeds of crime and conspiring to produce methamphetamine in a drug lab and distribute it.

The guilty pleas came after Leask tossed out last year the criminal organization charges, which alleged Potts and Punko committed their drug crimes for the benefit of a criminal organization -- the East End Hells Angels.

Leask concluded the Crown could not proceed on the criminal organization charges because a jury last summer had acquitted Potts, Punko and two other Hells Angels members of similar charges. The Crown is also appealing that ruling by Leask.

During sentencing Friday, Leask said he would have sentenced Punko to six years in prison if the case had gone to trial, but deducted one year for pleading guilty, deducted another year for the "police involvement in creating the crimes" and gave 34 months credit for the time Punko served in custody before sentencing.

The judge found that police used an agent, Michael Plante, who fed Punko's addiction to the prescription painkiller Percocet and got Punko involved in methamphetamine production.

Punko, 43, also sold Plante five kilograms of cocaine. Plante infiltrated the East End Hells Angels by being accepted to apply as a Hells Angels member.

Punko was previously convicted of cultivating marijuana, mischief under $5,000, contempt of court for refusing to testify at another Hells Angels trial and for threatening a prosecutor at a Hells Angels trial in 2002.

Potts, 49, had a previous criminal record for possession of stolen property and using a stolen credit card in Ontario, careless use of a firearm in Surrey and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Potts pleaded guilty last year to being involved in a meth lab with Plante, who worked as a police agent and infiltrated Vancouver's East End chapter of the Hells Angels, and sold him 28 ounces of cocaine.

The judge found Potts was not a sophisticated criminal and was, at the time of his crimes, an alcoholic addicted to Percocets supplied by the police agent, Plante, who secretly tape recorded conversations between Punko, Potts and a meth lab cook named Ryan Renaud, whom Punko suspected was also working for the UN gang and its boss Clay Roueche.

Last summer, a jury convicted Punko, Potts and two other Hells Angels members, Ronaldo Lising and Jean Violette, of weapons offences and extortion.

In that case, Punko was convicted of the unauthorized possession of a loaded semi-automatic Smith & Wesson pistol and sentenced to 15 months in jail, plus a consecutive sentence of four years for counselling Plante to do damage to a Surrey home, where Punko was trying to collect a large sum of money from a man.

Potts was convicted last summer of four offences: having control of illegal grenades, possessing a loaded Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol, possessing an Intratec 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger .22-calibre semi-automatic rifle and Voere bolt-action rifle and a .44 Ruger revolver.

He received a sentence of effectively time served on the weapons offences.

Lising was convicted of possessing two loaded prohibited firearms: a Rossi .357 Magnum revolver and a Walther PPK/S .380-calibre semi-automatic pistol.

Violette was found guilty of the extortion of Glen Louie, a drug dealer who was beaten for using the Hells Angels name without permission. Violette was also convicted of the illegal possession of a loaded Beretta 20 semi-automatic pistol and a Ruger SP 101 revolver.