RCMP to reveal info about Project Dilemma, latest covert crackdown on drugs

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 .......

RCMP will announce details Thursday regarding their latest major covert police crackdown on the drug underworld, the Winnipeg Sun has learned. Mounties began making several arrests in Project Dilemma late Tuesday and into Wednesday, according to justice sources, but the exact number isn’t currently known. It appears an investigation on Wall Street in Winnipeg on Wednesday, which involved city cops and Mounties, is related to Project Dilemma. A remote-controlled bomb unit was seen entering an auto garage at the scene. It’s believed some suspects in the crackdown may have ties to the Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang. RCMP are refusing comment on the case prior to a Thursday morning news conference. Suspects facing charges will be directly indicted into the Court of Queen’s Bench, according to sources. “It’s a fair assumption some of them will face drug-related charges,” said one source. The use of direct indictments means preliminary hearings meant to test the Crown’s case will be bypassed. The use of the procedure has become routine in high-level organized crime-related prosecutions in Manitoba, including Project Deplete, which in February 2012 saw 13 suspects collared and sent straight to trial following a months-long undercover operation. Deplete also saw cops use a police civilian informant paid in the range of $500,000 in phases (plus expenses) to arrange drug deals and report back to his police handlers. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/01/30/rcmp-to-reveal-info-about-project-dilemma-latest-covert-crackdown-on-drugs

From the archives: In 2012, police predicted more Rock Machine clashes

Thursday, January 31....... All has been quiet in the war between Rock Machine and Redlined in recent months, but seasoned gang cops warn that Winnipeg hasn't seen the last of the violence, state recently released court documents. Police are expecting further clashes between the two gangs, according to court documents filed in the recent crackdown on members of the Hells Angels and the Redlined Support Crew, a "friend" club to the Manitoba chapter that first came to the attention of police in May 2009. It was a significant year. The Manitoba Angels' original puppet club, the Zig Zag Crew, was decimated in a major police project that saw the arrests of many of its members in December 2009. The Redlined started taking over responsibilities, cops say. But the Rock Machine -- first sited in Winnipeg in 2008 at a Notre Dame Avenue hotel with four people wearing "Rock Machine Nomads" vests -- had other plans. By January 2010, the violent feud between the Rock Machine and its rivals had erupted, police say, and the tensions boiled over in the summer of 2011 with more than a dozen shootings and fire bombings in a battle over drug turf. UNREPORTED But court documents suggest there was far more gunfire, arsons and assaults that were kept private. "Since January 2010 there have been in excess of 20 reported and almost as many unreported incidents of violence between the Redlined/ Hells Angels and Rock Machine," the documents said. In November 2011, a makeshift bomb was tossed at the home of a Hells Angel in the middle of the night. The device, which looked like it was made out of shotgun shells and ballbearings, extinguished without detonating and without injuring anyone. No one called the cops. Later that same day, a man was beaten, court documents state. He declined medical treatment. The documents, prepared by police as part of the application to stick roughly 10 members of Hells Angels and Redlined under crime prevention- related peace bonds, suggest members gather intelligence on enemies and "have assembled in convoys to go on the hunt for rival Rock Machine members," court documents state. Sometimes, these "hunting missions" culminate at an enemy's property in a home invasion, dubbed "knock knock ginger man," the court documents state. Last month, Winnipeg police busted nine alleged Hells Angels and Redlined members in Project Flatlined -- a clear dig at the name of the friend club. In spite of the arrests, police believe the conflict is anything but over. "The war has been quiet in the past few months, but the rivalry is still existent and it appears the Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang are still intent on expanding their presence here and across Canada," police wrote. "More violence is predicted between these groups."............. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/01/31/from-the-archives-in-2012-police-predicted-more-rock-machine-clashes#

Rock Machine off the map: RCMP

Rock Machine off the map: RCMP Thursday, January 31, 2013 .........

The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club will no longer ride their crime wave through the streets of Winnipeg. A total of 11 people, including many connected to the Rock Machine, have been charged with a number of offences related to drug and firearms trafficking and other criminal activities, RCMP proudly announced Thursday. "We have in custody the entire Winnipeg chapter of the Rock Machine members," said Inspector Len DelPino, officer in charge of drug and integrated organized crime. "As a result, Winnipeg streets are safer today," said RCMP assistant commissioner Kevin Brousseau. About 140 RCMP and Winnipeg police officers searched 13 different locations, including a Wall Street business where explosives were found, and arrested the 11 persons at 10 of them (including the Wall Street locale where one Rock Machine member worked) on Wednesday. No one was injured during the arrests. The following Rock Machine members were charged: Todd Kenneth Murray, Joseph John Strachan, John Adam Curwin and Cameron Adam Hemminger, the RCMP said. Also charged was Shannon Chad Campbell, a Rock Machine prospect. Others charged were: Christopher Lee Camara, Donny Syraxa, Danny Vu Tran, Patrick La, Teagveer Singh Gill and Richard Dennis Lund. The arrests came as the result as the RCMP's Project Dilemma investigation that started in August of 2012. "The long-term investigation responds to one of main concerns of the communities we serve across Manitoba, that being violence associated with drugs," Brousseau said. Police and RCMP seized 13 pounds of cocaine, 1,800 tablets of Benzylpiperazine about eight pounds of marijuana, firearms, ammunition, two pipe bombs and eight other commercial explosive devices, a 2009 Audi S5, a significant amount of cash and Rock Machine-related clothing and paraphernalia. More arrests could still be coming. "As the result of (Wednesday's) searches, we've seized a number of items," DelPino said. "That will lead us to other locations, possibly, other people, further charges. Until we've got a full tally of what we have, we're not finished our investigation." DelPino would not speculate on whether the Rock Machine was preparing for any sort of biker war, considering the explosives — including sticks of dynamite — and firearms seized. "It does concern every Manitoban when you see these people having these types of things," he said. "We're just happy to be able to get it off the streets before it was used." Charges in Project Dilemma: Todd Kenneth Murray, 43, Rock Machine member Trafficking in Cocaine x 3 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 3 Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine x 1 Trafficking Cocaine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Instructing Persons to Commit Offences in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Participating in the Activities of a Criminal Organization x 1 Joseph John Strachan, 42, Rock Machine member RM of East St. Paul, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 1 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 1 Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine x 1 Trafficking Cocaine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Conspiracy to Traffic Cocaine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Instructing Persons to Commit Offences in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Participating in the Activities of a Criminal Organization x 1 John Adam Curwin, 31, Rock Machine member Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Benzylpiperazine x 2 Firearms Trafficking x 1 Offer to Traffic a Firearm x 1 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Trafficking Benzylpiperazine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Firearms Trafficking in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Cameron Adam Hemminger, 42, Rock Machine member Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking Cocaine in Association with a Criminal Organization x 1 Trafficking Cocaine x 1 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 1 Shannon Chad Campbell, 35, Rock Machine prospect RM of St. Andrews, Manitoba Possess Ammunition While Prohibited x 1 Fail to Comply with Conditions of a Recognizance x 2 Christopher Lee Camara, 33 Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 2 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Donny SYRAXA 27 years Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine X 2 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Danny Vu Tran, 27 Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 2 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Patrick La, 26 Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 2 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Teagveer Singh Gill, 28 Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 2 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 2 Richard Dennis Lund, 29 Winnipeg, Manitoba Trafficking in Cocaine x 1 Possession of Proceeds Crime x 1 After-effects of 2012 gang war still being felt The Rock Machine were one of the key players in a gang war that appears to have climaxed in 2012. In December 2009, the Manitoba Angels' original puppet club, the Zig Zag Crew, was decimated in a major police project that saw the arrests of many of its members. The Redlined started taking over responsibilities, cops say. But the Rock Machine — first sited in Winnipeg in 2008 at a Notre Dame Avenue hotel with four people wearing "Rock Machine Nomads" vests — had other plans. By January 2010, the violent feud between the Rock Machine and its rivals had erupted, police say, and the tensions boiled over in the summer of 2011 with more than a dozen shootings and fire bombings in a battle over drug turf. UNREPORTED But court documents suggest there was far more gunfire, arsons and assaults that were kept private. "Since January 2010 there have been in excess of 20 reported and almost as many unreported incidents of violence between the Redlined/ Hells Angels and Rock Machine," the documents said. In November 2011, a makeshift bomb was tossed at the home of a Hells Angel in the middle of the night. The device, which looked like it was made out of shotgun shells and ballbearings, extinguished without detonating and without injuring anyone. No one called the cops. Later that same day, a man was beaten, court documents state. He declined medical treatment. The documents, prepared by police as part of the application to stick roughly 10 members of Hells Angels and Redlined under crime prevention- related peace bonds, suggest members gather intelligence on enemies and "have assembled in convoys to go on the hunt for rival Rock Machine members," court documents state. Sometimes, these "hunting missions" culminate at an enemy's property in a home invasion, dubbed "knock knock ginger man," the court documents state. Last month, Winnipeg police busted nine alleged Hells Angels and Redlined members in Project Flatlined — a clear dig at the name of the friend club. In spite of the arrests, police said the conflict is anything but over. "The war has been quiet in the past few months, but the rivalry is still existent and it appears the Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang are still intent on expanding their presence here and across Canada," police wrote in 2012. "More violence is predicted between these groups."

Paid civilian snitch helped RCMP Project Dilemma take down Rock Machine

Paid civilian snitch helped RCMP Project Dilemma take down Rock Machine Wiretaps, physical surveillance, and direct indictments also strengthen Crown’s case By James Turner ,Winnipeg Sun, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Manitoba police have again employed a paid civilian snitch to assist them in infiltrating high levels of the provincial biker and drug-trafficking underworld. The latest bust — dubbed Project Dilemma by RCMP — had among its targets reputed full-patch Rock Machine members Joseph Strachan, John Adam Curwin, Todd Murray, Cameron Hemminger and prospect Shannon Campbell. Richard Lund was also among those arrested. Lund was identified in a 2012 police intelligence report as a Rock Machine member. Strachan, Hemminger, Murray and Curwin appear to be the top targets of the months-long covert probe, which started in September and culminated in co-ordinated arrests across the city Wednesday. Each of the four faces criminal-organization related charges of various kinds, with Strachan accused of recruiting members on behalf of the gang between Oct. 4 and Nov. 8. In addition to the paid police informant tactic, RCMP also made great use of physical and video surveillance as well as wiretaps. Nine of the 11 suspects were directly indicted into the Court of Queen's Bench Thursday morning in front of Justice Chris Mainella. The use of direct indictments means preliminary hearings meant to test the Crown’s evidence are bypassed. Strachan was unable to make his first appearance due to being taken to hospital following his arrest Wednesday. While his current medical status wasn't made apparent, it involved a pre-existing condition and was unrelated to his interaction with police, court was told. Each of the court cases has been remanded to March 13, but bail applications may happen sooner than that. Federal Crown attorney Sadie Bond refused to comment on the case after court. Defence lawyers were given hard drives containing the evidence police have gathered in the case. RCMP said more charges are pending. Along with drug-trafficking charges, Project Dilemma also involved weapons-trafficking, with police alleging their agent was on the receiving end of two separate gun deals. Curwin is accused of brokering an Oct. 29 sale of a shotgun to the agent through a third party, and Murray is suspected of selling the agent a stolen .357 Magnum handgun on Jan. 14, according to court documents obtained by the Sun. The Magnum is believed to have been purchased by Murray from Hemminger, according to a sworn statement from Const. Paul Oakes. Virtually all of those arrested have criminal histories, with Curwin being handed a six-year sentence in 2007 for kidnapping and extortion. Less than a year ago, RCMP and Winnipeg police came forward to announce the results of Project Deplete, where a former Rock Machine member was paid more than $500,000 to snitch on members of the gang and other, more independent, drug operators. The Rock Machine and their puppet club, the Vendetta Crew, were key players in a city gang war that appears to have climaxed in 2012. In December 2009, the Manitoba Angels' original puppet club, the Zig Zag Crew, was decimated in Project Divide, which saw the arrests of many of its members. The Redlined started taking over responsibilities, cops say. But the Rock Machine — first sighted in Winnipeg in 2008 at a Notre Dame Avenue hotel with four people wearing "Rock Machine Nomads" vests — had other plans. By January 2010, the violent feud between the Rock Machine and its rivals had erupted, police say, and the tensions boiled over in the summer of 2011 with more than a dozen shootings and fire bombings in a battle over drug turf. Police say a number of violent incidents went unreported to them. Among those were a drive-by shooting at Lund's home after another Rock Machine member's home was also shot up on June 28, 2011. In a report, police say they recovered 9mm slugs from a wall, and that Curwin was present at the time the shooting happened. The next day, the home where Strachan lived was firebombed and shot at. http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/01/31/paid-civilian-snitch-helped-rcmp-project-dilemma-take-down-rock-machine