Two St. Albert and Morinville residents were among those arrested as part of a large-scale police operation that resulted in the recovery of $1 million worth of stolen vehicles.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team announced this week it had arrested 10 people, including two full-patch members of the Hells Angels following a lengthy investigation.
Thirteen search warrants were executed simultaneously May 12 in communities mostly in and around the Edmonton area, with further search warrants carried out May 19 and May 25.
Police say Hells Angels members and associates were allegedly involved in stealing trailers and RVs, altering the vehicle identification number, fraudulently registering them and reselling them to gang members and associates.
The investigation was called “Project Al-Wheels” and dates back to October 2015, the result of an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers, and involved police from several agencies.
ALERT spokesperson Mike Tucker said a home in the Lakes neighbourhood in northeast Morinville was among the properties searched May 12, and a trailer was recovered.
The St. Albert property was among those searched May 25, also resulting in a trailer being recovered, but Tucker could not confirm in which part of the city that took place.
The searches also turned up 21 firearms, which police seized.
The 10 people arrested and charged with more than 300 offences combined, include St. Albert resident Mark Funk, 38, and Morinville resident Frank Preeper, 42. Police identified Edmonton residents Christopher Escott, 32, and Julien Roussel, 58, as full members of the Hells Angels.
While gang-related activity in St. Albert isn’t often reported, it’s not unheard of. On Jan. 30, 2014, police raided a home on Eldorado Drive in the Erin Ridge neighbourhood, in an investigation related to the Hells Angels. That investigation, which also targeted three Edmonton homes, resulted in 39 drug and weapons charges.
In a written statement, ALERT S/Sgt. Dave Knibbs said gang-related activity affects every community in the province in one way or another.
“Gang-related activities, such as violence, drug trafficking and stolen property, hurt our neighbourhoods and St. Albert and Morinville are not immune,” he said. “However we work closely with the RCMP detachments to proactively address these issues.”
