Pubdate: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 Source: Medicine Hat News (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 Alberta Newspaper Group, Inc. Contact: http://www.medicinehatnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1833 Author: Lissa Swihart ORGANIZED CRIME HAS LOCAL IMPACT Recent national attention to Hells Angels activity in Saskatchewan and Quebec should remind people in Medicine Hat that organized crime reaches into every community, said a Medicine Hat police sergeant on Friday. "Nobody needs to feel afraid or like the sky is falling, but organized crime is everywhere and effects all of us," said Sgt. Rick Wigle of the Medicine Hat Police Service. "When the public is aware of crime like this, people are more likely to support police services and initiatives by MLAs to change legislation to more effectively deal with these people." Nine Quebec Hells Angels, including four members of the notorious Nomads chapter, received sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years Tuesday for drug trafficking, gangsterism and conspiracy to commit murder. The sentences were the result of a plea bargain and took effect on Tuesday. They were added to the 30 months the men have served since they were arrested in the spring of 2001. The charges relate to the gang's bloody turf war with rival gangs for control of the lucrative drug trade in the mid-1990s. The Hells Angels' local status became public when two Medicine Hat men pleaded guilty in court to manslaughter for the January, 2002 death of Ronald Wayne Reynolds. Stacey Ross Carlier and Ryan Devon Stadnick, who were sentenced to seven years in jail, minus one year for time spent in custody before their trial, were reported by police to be low-level members of the Edmonton chapter of the Hells Angels. The activity of the Hells Angels and all other organized crime rings in Canada is the focus of the Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada, which releases an annual report based on intelligence and investigation reports. The report is a comprehensive review of targeted organized crime groups and their activities and touches on the enormous task police have in monitoring and cracking down on the groups. In June, police chief Normand Boucher lauded a provincewide police unit formed to battle organized crime by gangs. The province more than doubled the $2.4 million it previously spent to fight organized crime and street gangs. "We know most of the drugs being sold in Medicine Hat is controlled by the Hells Angels," Boucher said at the time. "It will be easier to investigate that further, find the evidence you need to put it to court and come out successfully with charges against the bigger players." Wigle said organized crime groups can be linked to drugs, property damage and subsequent increased insurance costs, assaults and general intimidation across Canada. "We have Hells Angel influence in this town, we have H.A. coke, we have Asian organized crime. You may not see direct signs that they're here because they have so many people to do their dirty work." He said police have to continue to chip away at organized crime rings to keep their communities safe and crime rates low. While Wigle said motorcycle gangs and organized crime have been in Medicine Hat for decades, they are growing stronger and expanding. "Any time we can talk about organized crime and bring these groups into the light, it's to our advantage because they work best in the shadows." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth