Friday, March 19, 2010

Hells Angel charged after cash found

MCs in the News

A member of the Hells Angels Nomads is facing charges after a furnace repairman found a bag full of money stashed away in a furnace.

It happened Nov. 25, Mounties said Wednesday.

The repairman went to a house in the Michener Hill area of Red Deer to fix the furnace but found tens of thousands of dollars.

A man came forward claiming it was his money and police investigated his claim.

"In an attempt to prove that the money was his and legitimately his, it's alleged he committed fraud," said Const. Sabrina Grunow.

RCMP said the money was from drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, police searched the house and found documents, data, prohibited weapons and an undisclosed amount of cash.

Leonard Desjarlais, 36, whom police say is a member of the outlaw motorcycle gang, was arrested on Tuesday.

There are 15 to 20 members of the Red Deer Hells Angels, said Grunow.

"Any time we can make any kind of impact against this type of behaviour such as organized crime or drug trafficking, we look at the benefits to our community," she said.

Desjarlais faces charges of possession of the proceeds of crime, uttering forged documents and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.

original article