Biker sentenced to 3-1/2 years for drug deal

A Manitoba biker associate has admitted to a $10,000 drug deal which was largely arranged on a Blackberry device being secretly monitored by police. Jamie Korne, 41, pleaded guilty to trafficking today and was given a three-and-a-half year prison sentence under a joint-recommendation from Crown and defence lawyers. Korne was one of 13 people arrested earlier this year as par of "Project Deplete", which utilized the services of a criminal-turned-informant who allowed police an inside look at the criminal underworld in exchange for $500,000 and witness protection. The large-scale takedown by the Manitoba Integrated Organized Crime Task Force -- comprised of officers from the Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service and the RCMP -- yielded an impressive haul. Officers seized about 6.9 kilograms of cocaine, 4.6 kg of crack cocaine and 2.7 kg of methamphetamine. They also seized more than 9,800 tablets of ecstasy, about 500 tablets of oxycodone and about 900 grams of marijuana. The probe has been underway since August 2011 In Korne’s case, he was caught sending numerous messages to the secret agent about a 10-ounce cocaine transaction which ultimately went down in January 2012 at a Winnipeg car wash, court was told. Korne set up the deal, using connections he had, and was given $10,000 in marked money for his efforts. Korne was fighting his own drug addiction at the time and agreed to the transaction to help feed his costly habit, court was told. He is a former member of the Bandidos motorcycle gang. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Biker-sentenced-to-3-12-years-for-drug-deal-179556861.html

The Rise and Fall of the Winnipeg Rock Machine May 1, 2013 Guns and cash and explosives on the table. From footage of the RCMP's press conference...... In 2008 Manitoba became the stomping grounds for one of Canada’s most notorious biker gangs. Rivals of the Hells Angels and infamous after a bloody 8-year biker war in Quebec that ended in 2002, the Rock Machine were by no means a new motorcycle club — and looking back, it seems it was only a matter of time before bullets and fire bombs started flying on the streets of Winnipeg. In 2008, after a number of busts by Winnipeg Police and Manitoba RCMP threw a wrench into the gears of the local Hells Angels, the Rock Machine graciously thanked law enforcement for “handing [them] the province” and quickly rumbled towards the top, trying to become Winnipeg’s dominant club. In 2011, things boiled over between the Hells Angels’ backed Redlined Support Crew and the growing Rock Machine who were engaged in a turf war despite Rock Machine’s claims of going legit. In March 2012 a Winnipeg police initiative dubbed Project Flatline led to the arrests of 11 suspects, including local Hells Angels president Dale Sweeney who just received an 11-year prison sentence for the cocaine trafficking. Considering some Canadian motorcycle chapters have existed for decades, the Rock Machine’s run in the ‘Peg was a short one. Manitoba RCMP managed to topple the club as they were positioning themselves for a bloody take over of the city and province. The extent of which was clear on Jan. 30, 2013 when RCMP, along with 140 police officers wrapped up a six-month investigation known as Project Dilemma and raided a number of locations in Winnipeg, seizing a bounty of drugs, guns, explosives and biker vests for the Rock Machine, the Vendettas and the Hell Hounds, their support clubs. According to a RCMP press release, police seized 13 pounds of cocaine, 1,800 tablets of Benzylpiperazine (a synthetic drug like ecstasy), two firearms and a commercial explosive device. Other searches saw seizures of four firearms, ammunition, two pipe bombs, eight other explosive devices, three pounds of cocaine, approximately eight pounds of weed and significant amounts of cash. 11 people were arrested, including four full-patch Rock Machine members, a prospect, and others pushing Rock Machine product. Despite the small number of arrests, the RCMP say this was enough to shake the organization to its core. To get some info about what the bust meant for the Manitoba chapter, I spoke to Sgt. Len Isnor with the Ontario Provincial Police’s biker enforcement unit who said the bust may have reached beyond Manitoba as the chapter was one of the club’s thriving branches. “The chapter that they had there was by far having the most success,” said Isnor. “They formed a very strong chapter, with some strong personalities and they were able to be successful in an area where other groups were down. Over the last few years the police in Manitoba and Winnipeg delivered a lot of blows to the Hells Angels … so it was perfect timing for another group to come in.” Seized coke and pills..... However, Mike McIntyre, the justice and courts reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press and the city’s veteran crime reporter, said he’s not so sure the bust will successfully bring down the Rock Machine. “The business that they’re in, which is largely the drug business, is not going away,” said McIntyre. “Every time the police do one of these projects—and they’ve done many of them now over the last five or six years in Winnipeg, previously targeting the Hells Angels—although it certainly has a short-term impact on the gang itself that they’ve targeted, it would be foolish for anyone to think that somehow they’ve nipped the market that these guys are in, in the bud.” He continued, “While they may temporarily disrupt the activity of the organization themselves, and certainly this was a blow to the Rock Machine, I think this is probably temporary.” McIntyre said although there is no shortage of resources or experience amongst Rock Machine ranks, the club’s facing a new enemy as internal strife—a result of a paid informant laying the web for Project Dilemma—has put the club on edge in a big way. “It puts a target on these guys. They know now that they’re not exactly going to get a free pass in this city,” said McIntyre. “This project, like so many others, utilized a full-patch member as an informant so the police got someone to turn on their brothers, if you will, for a price. That, no doubt, must create a sense of paranoia amongst these gang members, these bikers.” Although he isn’t sure how many Rock Machine associates remain on the streets, his sources tell him they’re rebuilding. “They’re certainly out there,” said McIntyre. “It’s not like McDonalds if they have a bunch of employees leave and they now have to go on a hiring spree where they put an ad in the paper and a bunch of people apply … it works a lot different in the crime world, you have to prove that loyalty and that trust.” Sgt. Travis Charlton with the RCMP drug section in Winnipeg and team commander on Project Dilemma said the Rock Machine did a good job of making itself appear larger than it was, saying their investigation discovered there were only four full-patch members as well as one prospect, all of which are in custody. Hazardous ammunition..... “Here in Winnipeg and in Manitoba there are currently no full-patch wearing members and prospects on the streets,” said Charlton. “There’s a few associates on the streets for the Rock Machine that are still friends with the members. They weren’t targets of our investigation; we just targeted the club members themselves. The Rock Machine is very fluid here as far as their recruitment and members, as members have gone in and out from the club.” When asked about the Winnipeg chapter being one of the strongest across the country, Charlton explained they had done a good job of promoting itself. “The Rock Machine here in Winnipeg, they were very strong at promoting the Rock Machine name through social media and different things … They weren’t very sophisticated as a club, but they were still able to move lots of drugs, and they had access to weapons and explosives,” he said. Charlton explained the club was still bringing in substantial amounts of drugs to be peddled in Winnipeg despite their small size. “They were getting several kilos of cocaine a month into Winnipeg and that was being distributed from the patch members down to their friends and associates who were selling it at the ounce level and smaller,” said Charlton. He added the investigation revealed a good chunk of drugs were coming from Quebec, “from the Rock Machine members in the Montreal area,” a place where the club has avoided out of respect for the Hells Angels. When asked if Manitoba had a problem concerning outlaw motorcycle gangs, Charlton said the problem is nationwide. “It’s not just a problem here in Manitoba, it’s a problem throughout the country.” Isnor and McIntyre said the bust is likely to create a vacuum in Winnipeg’s underworld. While Isnor said he couldn’t predict who might fill the void, McIntyre had some insight. “For street gangs in this city, Winnipeg will continue to be a little bit of a playground,” said McIntyre. “The more hits the big boys on the block are taking, the more opportunity it’s creating for them and ultimately the more danger it’s creating for everyone.”

Family man with no gang ties got caught up in drug trade; sent to jail in Project Deplete bust

A family man with no prior record will serve 3 1/2 years in prison after being nabbed as an incidental target in a sweeping police drug-and-guns crackdown. Mark Beitz, 32, was taken from Queen’s Bench Justice Colleen Suche’s courtroom in handcuffs Tuesday as several family members looked on in apparent sorrow. Beitz previously admitted guilt for the role he played in facilitating a cocaine deal between his cousin, Jamie Christopher Korne, and a paid police informant cops employed in what was dubbed Project Deplete. “You’re feeling sorry for yourself today,” Suche told Beitz, as she accepted the jointly recommended prison term for the first-time offender. “But the part I really want you to think about is the damage you’ve caused to society ... that’s why you’re going to jail for 3 1/2 years,” Suche said. Beitz helped broker a Jan. 9, 2012, cash-for-cocaine deal between the agent and Korne, a transaction for which he was to be paid a measly $100. He didn’t supply the 11 ounces of the drug in the $10,000 deal, police heard. The meeting between Korne and the police agent took place in the back of a vehicle at a car wash and was captured on video surveillance, the Crown said. Korne received a 3 1/2-year prison term late last year. Beitz apologized to the court and his family. He’s been on bail without incident since shortly after he turned himself in to police in February 2012. “I don’t ever want to see this place or go through this again,” he said. "You're feeling sorry for yourself today," Suche told Beitz. "But the part I really want you to think about is the damage you've caused to society ... that's why you're going to jail for 3.5 years," Suche said. Project Deplete saw RCMP and Winnipeg police target what they described as a number of major players in the provincial drug trade. Some involved had various gang associations. Others, like Beitz, had none whatsoever. In all, 16 suspects were nabbed in the months-long covert probe which saw the agent paid $500,000, plus expenses, in phases. All but one have since pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 months to eight years.

Former Manitoba Hells Angels leader Dale Sweeney sentenced to 11 years in prison

Monday, April 29, 2013

Former Manitoba Hells Angels leader Dale Sweeney has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in spearheading a sophisticated cocaine trafficking ring. Sweeney, 43, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in aid of a criminal organization and possession of proceeds of crime. Sweeney’s sentence was jointly recommended by the Crown and defence. Prosecutors would have recommended a much higher sentence had Sweeney been convicted after trial, said Crown attorney Geoff Bayly, noting the case against Sweeney was “extremely strong.” Sweeney was among nine people arrested in March 2012 following a joint city police and RCMP investigation targeting the Hells Angels and its support club, Redlined. Court heard Sweeney and his gang minions and street dealers raked in more than $100,000 a month selling crack cocaine, primarily in the Elmwood area. “We tell (rivals) to get the f--- out of Elmwood ... it is ours, bought and paid for,” said a co-accused in a phone conversation intercepted by police. Sweeney was sentenced to three years on the proceeds of crime charge and a further eight years on the drug trafficking charge. He received credit for one year of pre-sentence custody. Justice Rick Saull ordered Sweeney serve at least four years on the drug charge before he is eligible for parole. Sweeney agreed to forfeit more than $500,000 in assets, including equity in an Autumnview Drive home, two motorcycles, and the balances of several investment accounts. Defence lawyer Allan Gold suggested Sweeney will be a changed man when he is finally released from prison. “There is no reason to think he won’t renew his life in a constructive fashion,” Gold told court.

Hells Angel Rod Sweeney arrested

Wednesday, August 14,2013

A Hells Angel wanted in connection with a bizarre attack on two cyclists last week is now in custody. Rodney Patrick Sweeney, 45, was arrested on Tuesday, four days after police announced a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Sweeney has been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in connection with what police say was an unprovoked attack on a 27-year-old man and his 14-year-old nephew. The incident happened Aug. 5 at 11:15 p.m. near the corner of Concordia Avenue and Molson Street in East Kildonan. Police say the two victims were riding their bicycles when a man began following them in a vehicle. After a short distance, the suspect got out of the car and attacked the pair with a blunt weapon. The victims escaped with non-life-threatening injuries and called police. Neither victim appears to be affiliated with a gang or have provoked the attack, police said. “From our investigation, it seems to have been instigated by nothing — nothing that would provoke even an aggressive confrontation, never mind a violent attack,” police spokesman Const. Rob Carver previously said. Last summer, Sweeney agreed to abide by the conditions of a peace bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour until 2015. The little-used legal weapon was used by police at the time as part of efforts to keep a lid on a brewing turf war between the Angels and its rivals, the Rock Machine. Sweeney was detained in custody at the Provincial Remand Centre.

Hells Angels gangster wanted in blunt-weapon assault of teen & relative.....

Friday, August 09, 2013

The man accused of an unprovoked attack on two cyclists Monday night is also an alleged high-ranking Hells Angels member who had legally promised to end his criminal ways. At 11:15 p.m., a 14-year-old boy and 27-year-old male relative were out for a bike ride near Concordia Avenue and Molson Street when a man began following them in a vehicle. After a short distance, the suspect got out of the vehicle and attacked the 27-year-old and 14-year-old victims with a blunt weapon. The victims escaped, and called police. They were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injures. On Friday, police issued a warrant for the arrest of Rodney Patrick Sweeney, 45. Sweeney is white, 6-foot-2 and 230 lbs. with a medium build. He has short brown hair and a goatee. He’s also allegedly a long-time, high-ranking Hells Angels member, the brother of the gang’s reported president. It’s unclear what provoked the attack. “Certainly the two victims have nothing that would indicate they didn’t do anything to bring this upon themselves. They’re not known to police, there’s nothing whatsoever that would lead us to that conclusion,” Const. Rob Carver, police spokesperson, said Friday. “From our investigation it seems to have been instigated by nothing — nothing that would provoke even an aggressive confrontation, never mind a violent attack,” Carver said. Police warn Sweeney has been known to carry weapons and should not be approached. Instead, they ask anyone with details of Sweeney’s whereabouts to call (204) 986-3916. “Sweeney is known to police,” Carver said. “He’s the kind of individual we would not want members of the public to approach for any reason. He is … known to carry weapons. We would just want to know if he was seen and some indication of where he was.” “We’re hoping Sweeney will turn himself in, given the media attention.” Last summer, Sweeney agreed to abide with the conditions of a peace bond — to “keep the peace and be of good behaviour.” That bond remains under effect until 2015. The little-used legal weapon is intended to fight organized crime by keeping gang members apart. “It’s an all-encompassing thing to be a good citizen ... which this type of activity, if proven, would be in breach of,” Carver said. Sweeney’s brother Dale is the reported president of the Hells Angels, who were engaged in a violent drug turf war with rivals Rock Machine at the time. Sweeney was not charged with a crime at the time. But court heard Hells Angels associates “assembled in convoys to go on the hunt for rival Rock Machine members,” court documents state. Sometimes, the missions culminate in a home invasion, dubbed “knock knock ginger man,” the court documents state. Police implicated Sweeney in these so-called hunting missions through an intercepted text message from his brother. “Grab some of the boys tell them to put somework (sic) it. Keep pressure on they hurtin (sic) bud!” police quote Dale Sweeney as writing to Justin MacLeod, the alleged president of the HA’s “friend” gang, the Redlined Support Crew.

Angel's recovery has Parole Board skeptical Says clean so they ask for financial details

Thursday, June 27.2013.....

He says he's cut all ties to the Hells Angels, volunteers his time and has started up a burgeoning — and legitimate — painting business while taking university courses on sociology and crime by correspondence. Even Winnipeg police are cautiously optimistic Ian Grant's now a changed man who could be given additional freedoms, parole officials say. Despite this, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) thinks it's still too soon for Grant to receive full parole from his 15-year prison term and has ordered him to remain living at a halfway house for at least the next six months. Grant, 39, learned earlier this month his bid for full parole — and a chance to live at a newly rented apartment — was denied. The board elected to keep him under the closer supervision which goes with day parole, which Grant's been free on without issue since last June. "Gains achieved on conditional release, while extremely positive, were seen as relatively short-lived when viewed against your persistent, dense and violent criminal history," the board stated in a recent decision. Grant was arrested as part of a sizable Manitoba police undercover bust targeting the Hells Angels and others in 2006. He was found guilty after trial of drug-trafficking and extortion and sentenced in May 2007. The recent PBC decision cites a wealth of positive changes Grant has made in his life. But ultimately, the board says it wants to take a wait-and-see approach before full parole can be granted. "Your skills and commitment to change need to be further tested," the decision said. The PBC imposed a new condition on Grant. In addition to past requirements he return nightly to a halfway house and avoid all contact with the criminal element, he must now also provide detailed financial information to the satisfaction of a parole supervisor.