B.C. government attempts to seize Hells Angels clubhouses in Vancouver, Kelowna

VANCOUVER – The B.C. government says two Hells Angels clubhouses should be forfeited to the province because they are linked to organized crime.

The province’s director of civil forfeiture has filed a claim with the B.C. Supreme Court that says clubhouses in Vancouver and Kelowna should be turned over to the Crown.

The claim says the clubhouses are an essential part of the cities’ Hells Angels chapters, which the document alleges are involved in drug production, drug trafficking, and murders.

The claim says the clubhouses are funded by the proceeds of crime and are, in turn, used by Hells Angels members to orchestrate their criminal activities.

In 2007, the director of civil forfeiture launched a claim targeting a Hells Angels clubhouse in Nanaimo, though that case has yet to be resolved.

B.C. has had civil forfeiture legislation since 2006, and in the 2011-2012 fiscal year the province seized nearly $11 million in assets.