A joint investigation by the OPP’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau and Provincial Operations Intelligence Bureau, the Toronto Police Service and the Belleville Police Service has led to the arrest of more than two dozen people accused of having ties to organized crime groups the Hells Angels and Red Devils Motorcycle Club.
Four of those charged are from Trenton, Ont.: 19-year-old Alexander Veronez, 46-year-old Robert Parsonson, 36-year-old Gary Bunton and 43-year-old Nicholas Runnalls.
Another eight are from nearby Belleville, Ont.: 43-year-old Jean-Francois Labonte, 38-year-old Nicole Whitman, 43-year-old Mark Stewart, 35-year-old Steven Dickinson, 52-year-old Mark Dunn, 41-year-old Michael Renzi, 24-year-old Justin Whitford and 27-year-old Ryan Higgins-Michaud.
Charges range from conspiracy to commit an indictable offence to possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime, and the commission of an offence for a criminal organization.
The sting also yielded a significant seizure, including:
- one Glock P80 3D printed handgun
- one Ruger 357 (stolen) handgun
- one Taurus 9-mm handgun
- one Sig Sauer 380-calibre prohibited handgun
- one SCCY CPX-2 9-mm restricted handgun
- three prohibited sawed-off shotguns
- three replica handguns
- two stun guns
- live ammunition
- jewelry, including two Rolex watches, gold chains and rings with an approximate value of $150,000; miscellaneous Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMG) jewelry
- miscellaneous Hells Angels (HA) vests, signage, member list and photos
- hard and soft body armour
- 10 vehicles
- more than $370,000 in Canadian currency
- controlled substances in excess of:
- 16 kilograms of cocaine
- 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl
- six kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, and an additional 400 crystal methamphetamine pills
- 20 pounds of cannabis, as well as 500 packages of cannabis edibles and 700 cannabis edibles
- 500 vape pens and cartridges
- eight pounds of hashish
- seven grams of psilocybin
“Street gangs, outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and other organized crime groups undermine peace and security across our communities. They deal in violence and conflict. They launder money. They traffic firearms and people. They hurt our communities,” OECP Chief Supt. Paul Mackey said.
“Collaborative investigations such as Project Coyote send a very powerful message to criminals that they will face the combined resources of the entire law enforcement community in order to hold them accountable for their actions,” Belleville police Deputy Chief Chris Barry added.
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