Police have made a second arrest of a man linked to the Hells Angels following a years-long investigation into the illegal drug trade on Vancouver Island, and two men remain outstanding.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit B.C., which is the province’s anti-gang unit, announced on Dec. 1 that four men linked to Hells Angels chapters on Vancouver Island have been charged with 41 counts of drug and weapons-related offences.
At the time of the initial announcement, Ladysmith resident William Bradley Thompson, 58, had been arrested and released before his next court appearance.
CFSEU-B.C. said William Karl Paulsen, a 51-year-old Campbell River resident, had been arrested on Dec. 1 and released awaiting the court process.
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William Karl Paulsen, a 51-year-old male from Campbell River, has been arrested following a years-long investigation. (RCMP handout)
Kristopher Stephen Smith, a 44-year-old from Nanaimo, and Sean Oliver Douglas Kendall, a 44-year-old from Port Alberni, have yet to be arrested.
A total of 41 charges were approved against the four men by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
The investigation into criminal networks of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in Nanaimo and the support clubs the “Savage MC” and “Devils Army MC” and the alleged drug trafficking ring has been ongoing since June 2018.
READ MORE: Vancouver Island Hells Angels members charged in years-long investigation by B.C. anti-gang unit
Over 22 months, investigators obtained evidence that led to the charges being approved — including a cache of drugs and weapons. Among the items seized were:
- Cocaine (7.75 kg)
- Methamphetamine (1.9 kg)
- Cannabis (4 kg)
- Pills – 248 Oxycodone
- Other CDSA (can be buff, etc) 1.2 kg (cutting agents
- Hand guns – one Uzi, five pistols
- Long guns – 12 Rifles, 4 shotguns
- Magazines – six oversized prohibited
- Ammunition in excess of 4,500 rounds
- 25 electronic devices
- Five tubes of commercial emulsion explosives
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Smith and Kendall are asked to contact their local police or CrimeStoppers.
-With files from CHEK’s Jeff Lawrence
Laura Brougham
