Hells Angels Motorcycle Club: Intelligence and Border Control Strategy

Introduction and Criminal Organization Overview

This report examines the organization of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC). Part One describes the criminal organization and its organizational, commercial, and behavioral characteristics. Part Two provides a law enforcement strategy for addressing this organization with a targeted aim: the eradication of the organization.

The HAMC originated in California in 1948, its name inspired by World War I and World War II flying squadrons. HAMC spread to Canada in 2000, opening its first chapter in Ontario when more than 100 men were "patched" — a term meaning that a person has become a full member of HAMC by receiving the vote of confidence from existing members and then the four patches of the club's insignia, which signify full membership (Katz, 2011). Attaining membership is an extended process that can last for many years.

HAMC was largely seen as an element of the counterculture movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It attracted interest from war veterans disillusioned by their experiences and looking for something that challenged the status quo. It was not simply an American phenomenon, as the HAMC spread worldwide across five continents.

In keeping with the military hierarchy that its veteran members were accustomed to, the HAMC was organized hierarchically, complete with divisions of labor in which jobs were assigned to members based on skill and merit, communication via a chain of command, and published rules and regulations.

Organizational Characteristics of the HAMC

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) (1994) described an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang as "any group of motorcyclist enthusiasts who have voluntarily made a commitment to band together and to abide by their organization's rules enforced by violence, who engage in activities that bring them and their club into repeated and serious conflict with society and the law" (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, p. 3). HAMC is Canada's largest and most powerful outlaw motorcycle gang, with chapters throughout the provinces (CISC, 2004).

The structure of the organization is strictly hierarchical, similar to what is found in a military organization. Just as a military unit conducts surveillance before initiating a plan, HAMC conducts research on geography, law enforcement, rival gangs, and any other issues that might affect the club's operations. Like a corporation, it assesses the market value of proposed services — such as drug trafficking — and makes decisions about what activities to pursue based on the collection of intelligence of this sort. The division of labor among participating members is arranged according to individual members' skills, knowledge, and ability.

HAMC insulates its organization and its members from law enforcement by concealing its criminal activities as effectively as possible. It maintains an air of plausible deniability similar to that which intelligence communities like the CIA maintain when agents engage in covert actions. HAMC is not formally a criminal organization; rather, it is an organization whose members are believed to engage in criminal actions. Its geographical scope is extensive, with chapters throughout the world. In Canada, they have chapters in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes, with the largest presence in Ontario and BC.

Commercial and Behavioral Characteristics

The commercial characteristics of HAMC are based on a monopolistic scheme. In order to control an industry, HAMC absorbs other organizations so that the threat of competition no longer exists. HAMC has members who have infiltrated commercial businesses and organizations — such as the Port of Vancouver — where they are employed by legitimate organizations but work covertly to further their own criminal enterprises, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, and weapons trafficking (CISC, 2004). As CISC (2004) notes, ports are "exploited to move illicit commodities into Canada as made evident by law enforcement seizures during 2003 including several incidents involving counterfeit products, in particular Canadian-brand cigarettes, and illicit drugs such as an 18-kilogram seizure of opium in December" (p. 25).

HAMC is one of several organizations within a network of organized crime groups that include Italian and Asian organizations. It is impossible for HAMC to control the manufacturing, shipment, and distribution of counterfeit goods or illegal drugs alone; thus, there is a need to network and develop relationships with other groups. However, controlling or placing workers at ports of entry is pivotal to the enterprise. Drug trafficking is the main source of illicit income for HAMC (CISC, 2004).

HAMC employs violence and intimidation to enforce its rules and to prevent witnesses to crimes from testifying. Police are largely unable to obtain assistance from the public in prosecuting cases against HAMC members because of fear of violent retaliation. With illicit profits, HAMC uses mainstream industries to facilitate the laundering of money (Silvester, 2006). New laws have been created to deter money laundering, such as the Proceeds of Crime Act.

HAMC incorporates subcultural norms such as rebellion against the system, symbolic motifs, a code of honor, and the motorcycle as a cultural centerpiece. Members are required to ride a motorcycle — typically a Harley-Davidson. They tend to share a style of dress: leather jackets or vests, blue jeans, boots, long hair, and beards. This style of dress and grooming symbolizes a spirit of rebellion and reflects a counter-cultural narrative.

The sophisticated nature of the criminal organization is seen in the complex hierarchical structure and the manner in which the organization exercises plausible deniability with respect to crimes. HAMC essentially acts as a kind of platform — similar to the way social media acts as a platform for people to meet, share ideas, and connect — with codes of conduct that are enforced selectively. The behaviors of its members with respect to criminality are not explicitly condoned by the organization. In fact, the rules and regulations of HAMC formally promote law-abiding behavior. At the same time, they promote solidarity and intimidation. For instance, if one member of HAMC is pulled over by police, the entire group must pull over. This demonstrates solidarity and functions as an effective intimidation tactic, as HAMC believes police will be less likely to engage with such a large group.

HAMC prohibits sexual abuse of any kind and prohibits substance abuse by its members. Individuals found to break these rules face severe punishment. Since no member is permitted to leave the group, punishment is typically physical in nature. The dress code is not entirely consistent — some chapter presidents insist that members wear all-black clothing and no shorts, while others do not enforce this uniformly. The organization also has rules prohibiting women from membership, prohibiting members from talking to media, requiring members to ride in an order of seniority with the president and road captain at the front and prospects at the rear. There is also a nomadic spirit to the club, with members averaging 20,000 km per year on their motorcycles. Once a member, always a member — no one is permitted to quit the group after being sworn in (Sakellariou, 2019).

HAMC is the largest and most powerful of several outlaw motorcycle clubs. Its death's head insignia is among the most recognizable and intimidating in the outlaw motorcycle world. Its imagery is iconic, and its name itself evokes a kind of power that rises above ordinary boundaries. For this reason, the club is able to attract those who live on the margins of society, who feel disenfranchised, and who seek to rebel against the system within an organizational structure. Due to its wealth, HAMC can also afford the best legal counsel whenever law enforcement attempts to prosecute its members.

References

CISC. (2004). Annual Report: Organized Crime in Canada. National Police Service.

Katz, K. (2011). The enemy within: The outlaw motorcycle gang moral panic. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 36(3), 231.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). (1994). Outlaw motorcycle gangs. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette, 56(3 & 4), 3.

Sakellariou, A. (2019). 20 rules the Hells Angels make their members follow. Retrieved from

Schneider, S. (2017). Canadian organized crime. Canadian Scholars.

Silvester, J. (2006). The silent enforcer. Retrieved from https://www.theage.com.au/technology/the-silent-enforcer-20060924-ge376c.html?page=2