QUEBEC — Eight members of a gang prosecutors say is linked to the Hells Angels pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of gangsterism and drug-trafficking.
The guilty pleas were a major victory for Canadian law enforcement agencies in their crackdown on motorcycle gangs accused of running Mafia-style drug rings.
The defendants were arrested last year and were among the first to be tried under a federal law that makes it illegal to take part in organized crime.
“I’m not a football player and I won’t do high-fives … but it’s a very important victory,” prosecutor Robert Rouleau said. “Let’s say that this year is a good year for law enforcement.”
Late last month, police arrested more than 100 people suspected of links to the Hells Angels in a series of raids in Quebec, Ontario and other Canadian provinces.
Police say drug-trade turf wars between the Hells Angels and a rival group are blamed for at least 158 murders, 169 attempted murders and the disappearances of 16 others.
Described by prosecutors as enforcers who beat rival drug dealers with baseball bats and wooden beams, the defendants Tuesday pleaded guilty to more than 80 charges including drug-trafficking, aggravated assault, kidnapping and weapons offenses. More than 40 other charges were dropped.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for May 1.
The trial proceeded after the judge rejected a constitutional challenge to the organized-crime law.
Special security measures were in place for the trial. Plexiglas was put up around a prisoner’s dock that faced away from the witness stand to prevent the defendants from intimidating those testifying against them.
