VANCOUVER — Representatives of the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office entered three Hells Angels clubhouses on Friday, after the province’s highest court ordered the properties in Kelowna, East Vancouver and Nanaimo forfeited for their links to criminal activity.
The land titles for the clubhouses, at 3598 East Georgia in Vancouver, 805 Victoria Rd. in Nanaimo and 837 Ellis St. in Kelowna were transferred to “His Majesty the King” on March 17 after the B.C. Court of Appeal ruling in February.
Police were on hand Friday at all three locations as forfeiture staff did an inventory inside each of the clubhouses.
Civil Forfeiture Office director Phil Tawtel said in an email that his staff went to the clubhouses “in order to inspect the properties and replace the locks. They were accompanied by law enforcement who were on-site to keep the peace.”
He said he couldn’t comment further on the court cases as the bikers could still file their application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Hells Angels have until Monday to ask the Supreme Court of Canada for permission to appeal the Court of Appeal ruling that sided with the government agency — overturning a 2020 B.C. Supreme Court decision in favour of the bikers.
Appeal Justices Mary Newbury, Christopher Grauer and Leonard Marchand said the findings of Justice Barry Davies were “tainted” because he used an elevated standard of proof and refused to admit facts from previous criminal cases against individual Hells Angels.
“We are satisfied that the inference clearly arises that members’ engagement in unlawful activities was facilitated through access to information gathered surreptitiously at the clubhouses, and protection from surveillance and detection by law enforcement offered by the clubhouses,” the judges said.
“Indeed, the most logical and reasonable inference to be drawn from the evidence is that the clubhouses were designed and outfitted at least in part for that very purpose. We are further satisfied that such use of the clubhouses was likely to continue.”
Last weekend, the East End chapter had to find another meeting place for its annual “Screwy Ride” to commemorate late member Dave (Screwy) Swartz, who was gunned down by a friend after an all-night drinking party on April 6, 1988. The friend then killed himself with the same gun.
