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