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Three men charged as Hells Angels ‘support club’ targeted by CFSEU-BC and Kamloops RCMP

Victor Kaisar
Jul 20, 2022 | 11:15 AM


Three men charged as Hells Angels 'support club' targeted by CFSEU-BC and Kamloops RCMP

Photo via Brett Mineer

Kamloops RCMP and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia (CFSEUBC) say three members of the Throttle Lockers, a Hells Angels “support” club are facing several drug-related charges.

They say it comes after a joint investigation between the Kamloops RCMP’s Targeted Enforcement Unit (TEU) and CFSEUBC, which began in 2017.

That is when police say they were led to believe that members of the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club were suspects in an alleged large-scale drug trafficking operation as they began to expand into the Kamloops area.

In July 2018, they say several known prospects of the Throttle Lockers who were allegedly trafficking drugs in the Kamloops area were targeted, while in November 2019, three search warrants were executed in the Kamloops – at Sunshine Gardens Superstore on Kelly Douglas Road, at a home in the 100-block of Knollwood Drive in Valleyview, and at a home in 1000-block of Kinross Place in Aberdeen.

In a statement Wednesday, police say the investigation led to the seizure of over four kilograms of drugs, a handgun, and over $330,000 in cash. They also say it helped prevent the expansion of the Throttle Lockers Motorcycle Club into the Kamloops area.

“When the Kamloops RCMP detachment started this project in 2017, there had been a number of violent offences related to organized crime, including a high-profile homicide, assaults and other serious events related to the drug trade,” Kamloops RCMP Superintendent, Syd Lecky said.

“Intelligence was indicating that members of the Throttle Lockers were active in Kamloops and were considering expanding their presence and control by opening a clubhouse in Kamloops.”

Shawn Carlisle, 49, from Falkland, Zale Coty, 53, from Kamloops, and Jacob Cavanagh, 29, from Kamloops have all been charged. The trio are out of custody with conditions awaiting the court process, police said.

Coty is facing two counts of trafficking cocaine and one count each of trafficking fentanyl, possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic fentanyl.

Cavanagh has been charged with one count each of possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking and conspiracy to traffic fentanyl while Carlisle is facing three counts of trafficking cocaine and one count of selling cannabis contrary to the Cannabis Act.

“This collaborative effort led by CFSEU-BC not only unveiled alleged drug trade activity in the Kamloops area, but also gave [us] an opportunity to disrupt the expansion of a Hells Angels support club,” Superintendent Duncan Pound, the CFSEU-BC’s Deputy Operations Officer, said, in a statement.

“We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners across the province to target those who pose the greatest risk to public safety due to their involvement in gang-related activities.”