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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Canada - Hells Angel sentenced to 4½ years for drug trafficking

OFF THE WIRE
thespec.com
Barbara Brown
  • A former president of the Niagara chapter of the Hells Angels was sentenced on Tuesday to 4 ½ years in prison for trafficking in cocaine and possessing the proceeds of crime.
    Andre Watteel, 58, of Cambridge, pleaded guilty in September to selling just under one kilogram of high-grade cocaine to an agent of the police during 28 separate transactions between March 3 and Sept. 28, 2009.
    The convicted biker was ordered to return the $60,000 that police provided to the undercover agent to buy the cocaine. Watteel also forfeited a PT Cruiser automobile he had driven during some of the coke deals.
    Defence lawyer Jaime Stephenson negotiated with federal drug prosecutor Bradley Reitz for the return of her client’s 2003 Harley Davison motorcycle and a 2000 Ford pickup that were seized when Watteel was arrested Dec. 15, 2009
    Watteel had been a longtime associate of the police agent who posed as a prospective member of the Hells Angels. He said he was not interested in selling larger quantities, just one or two ounces at a time. The product was tested in crime labs and found to be 65 to 83 per cent pure cocaine.
    Ontario Court Justice John Takach noted Watteel had been a prominent member of the Satan’s Choice Motorcycle Club before it “patched over” — merged — with the Hells Angels.
    Project Manchester, led by the OPP’s joint forces biker enforcement unit, targeted members of the club’s Hamilton and Niagara chapters.
    Watteel was arrested with five Hamilton members of the Hells Angels and one from Nanticoke. The only man yet to be tried is John Cane of Hamilton whose case is set for Feb. 28.
    The judge noted Watteel and his wife were organizers of a Christmas toy drive and had performed other charitable works in their community.
    These good works were taken into consideration, Takach said, but they were outweighed by the harm done by drugs such as cocaine.
    “Cocaine is an insidious poison that has destroyed innumerable lives. Even before one ounce reaches the street, it is indubitably soaked with the blood of others.
    “Any day in the downtown core, one can observe the victims of this horrible drug, either wandering around or lined up outside the methadone clinic only steps from this courthouse.”
    Watteel, whose criminal record includes uttering a forged document, assault and possession of a restricted weapon, was ordered to provide a sample of his DNA for analysis and entry into Canada’s national crime database. He was prohibited for life from possessing weapons, ammunition and explosives.
    Prosecutor Reitz said restraining orders the OPP placed on Watteel’s real property, including the Barking Fish restaurant and his family residence in Cambridge, would be lifted within 30 days.
    bbrown@thespec.com
    905-526-3494



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