Provincial agents from the Civil Forfeiture Office seized three different Hells Angels clubhouses across B.C., Friday, April 14.
Accompanied by local law enforcement, asset management staff from the agency turned up at three locations to inspect the properties and replace the locks.
Clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna and East Vancouver were all subject to the seizure, following a ruling handed down by B.C.’s Supreme Court earlier this year.
FEBRUARY RULING: Top court in B.C. reverses ruling, says province can order seizure of Nanaimo Hells Angels clubhouse
As of April 14, the Province of B.C. is now the title for all three properties.
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General’s office says the procedure for getting to the seizure and eventual sale of the three properties had unique circumstances that led to the result. The ministry said it would not comment further, as the case itself remains within the window of potential appeal.
This marks a big win for the province in what has been a decade-long legal headache that has bounced back and forth between the Hells Angels and B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office.
February’s ruling put the ongoing litigation into its 16th year.
It remains to be seen whether the Hells Angels will try to overturn this latest ruling in the Supreme Court of Canada, the country’s highest court of appeal. To do so, the club would first need to be granted permission to appeal, and the SCC may decline to hear the case.
Roger Collins
