First guilty plea in Project Dilemma sting of Rock Machine biker gang

First guilty plea in Project Dilemma sting of Rock Machine biker gang By James Turner ,Winnipeg Sun First posted: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 07:45 PM CST | Updated: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 A Rock Machine outlaw motorcycle gang prospect recently snapped up in an undercover sting which RCMP say decimated the gang in Manitoba has become the first of 11 suspects to face the music. Shannon Chad Campbell, 35, pleaded guilty Wednesday to possession of ammunition while prohibited and a court-order breach and was sentenced to 60 days in jail for his minor role in Project Dilemma. Judge Lee-Ann Martin also placed Campbell on probation for 18 months with conditions he have no contact with Rock Machine members or possess any gang paraphernalia or support gear. In October 2012, the paid police agent helping RCMP on the project visited Campbell at a Lockport Road home and saw him handling an assault rifle, court heard. He was on bail at the time and bound by a weapons prohibition. He was under conditions to be living elsewhere, Martin was told. When police carried out a search of the home in January, they found a baggie of 24 .22-calibre cartridges in the home’s laundry room. There was no mention of what became of the gun. “Mr. Campbell was not charged with criminal organization offences but there was a body of evidence about his involvement with the Rock Machine,” Crown prosecutor Mike Desautels said. Along with the ammo, RCMP also seized his prospect vest, support gear and a large hydraulic press. “And I don’t mean for automobiles,” Desautels said. Hydraulic presses are routinely found in drug labs. Campbell was not facing drug-related charges. Campbell was only “peripherally involved” in the overall investigation, defence lawyer Adam Masiowski said. The father of four has since cut ties with the Rock Machine and secured an order of separation from them while in custody, Masiowski said. “Mr. Campbell doesn’t want anything to do with these individuals any more ... he didn’t know them for very long,” he said. “The house that he rented was their property — that was the catalyst for a friendship that developed.” Campbell was the only Project Dilemma suspect to not be directly indicted into the Court of Queen’s Bench to face trial without a preliminary hearing. Currently nine remain in custody, with only one having secured bail so far. The project saw the unidentified civilian police agent paid in the range of $400,000 to snitch on members of the gang. Police and RCMP say they seized 13 pounds of cocaine, 1,800 tablets of Benzylpiperazine (a party pill also known as BZP), 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.