And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs

When I wrote the first novel in my BackTracker series, I had no intention of following it up with eight more novels. But if I had intended to write a lengthy series, I couldn't have chosen a more apt subject--drug-dealing biker gangs.

They just won't go away, either in real life or in the BackTracker series. They are rich, powerful, and often beyond the reach of the law. (See my post, Getting away with murder )

They run the illicit drug trade around the world, as well as control the lucrative businesses of human trafficking, prostitution and illegal arms dealing.

My fictional biker gang, The Traz, was brought down in a massive undercover police operation in Books I and 2 of the series (THE TRAZ and FATAL ERROR). However, they are still around in my upcoming Book 4, OPERATION MAXTRACKER.

"You can destabilize them, but you'll never get rid of them," says André Cédillot, organized crime specialist in the article, How the Hells Angels Made a Massive Comeback in Quebec.

He also mentions the Hells Angels expansion into other fraudulent activities. 

In OPERATION MAXTRACKER, The Traz is about to seize control of cyberspace. Now, wouldn't that be lucrative...

And on and on it goes...#BikerGangs has been brought to you by:

The BackTracker Series

Eileen Schuh, Author
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrodinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

 

Getting away with murder

The chilling headline almost passed unnoticed, coming as it did late Friday before the long Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

Oh, my goodness, I gasped. They're going to get away with murder!


That was my fear when I was writing FATAL ERROR, the second novel in my BackTracker series, centred around the murder trial of members of The Traz biker gang. There was a technical issue, a slight slip of protocol, a withholding of some minor evidence. Enough, though, that the bikers launch an appeal of their convictions and the Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear their complaints.

The BackTracker Series

Could it be that after undercover agents Shrug and Chad risked their lives and their souls infiltrating the gang in order to bring it down that their efforts are going to be for naught?



Could it possibly be that even though young Katrina finally breaks down and agrees to testify against these violent, powerful men, they are going to be set free? Could it be that no one would ever pay for young Lukas' senseless, violent death?

Young Katrina testified in FATAL ERROR

Could it be that the millions of dollars in taxpayers money spent on the Operation, the investigation, the trials would be spent in vain?

Would it be, after all that, the Traz bikers will walk free, take back the streets, sell their drugs, recruit vulnerable children, kill again...and again?


That scenario was scary enough in a novel, but for me to face it in real life...


Yes, I know the power of gangs so when late last Friday, the start of a long weekend, a judge quietly dismissed the murder charges against a group of Hells Angels, I shuddered.


I had looked forward to following what was being billed a 'mega trial'. A dozen or more Hells were being brought up on all kinds of charges, included many murder charges. This after many more charges had been dismissed because a judge ruled justice was taking too long. A special court house was designed...for everyone's safety.  Then some of those charged pleaded guilty, some died, some walked free and the 'mega trial' turned out to be for five Hells Angels only.


I was to be further disappointed when I discovered there was very little media coverage of the trial. None in English. I had to search with several engines and translate from French to find out what was going on in that special Montreal courtroom. That one of the crown's star witnesses was an ex-Hells Angel surprised me. Bikers don't turn on each other, at least in my BackTracker series they didn't.


Then came the grand slam of disappointments...the trial is dismissed because that ex-biker's testimony contradicted evidence the police had gathered but had not been shared with the defence...for reasons we do not know.


The power of gangs.


In my BackTracker series, members of biker gangs use threats, bribes, drugs, money, blackmail, flattery, romance and bullets to silence the media, to bypass justice, to get their way. They use high-powered lawyers, well-placed allies, and political friends. They use computer hackers to corrupt evidence and lies and conniving to avoid paying for their crimes.


So...what did they use in real life? I have a feeling I will never know.


Here's the link to that chilling Friday headline:

Judge orders end of SharQC Hells Angels trial over Crown's handling of evidence

Getting away with murder is brought to you by:

FATAL ERROR

"Courage and insight make for a compelling read" 

“...a worthy sequel to the explosive ‘THE TRAZ’.”

“Wise, haunting, deeply moving…unforgettable!”

 “The very best in today's motorcycle gang stories just got a little better.”

The Criminal Mind

Get hooked on a series for only £1.32  $1.99

Today a character interview of Shrug, one of the main protagonists in THE TRAZ and FATAL ERROR, was posted online and it got me thinking about how we define a criminal mind.

Interviewer, Peggy Stanton, calls Shrug a Bad Boy but he says he'd prefer her to think highly of him--after all, as an undercover cop he dedicated four years of his life to infiltrating and dismantling a biker gang.


Whether he is good or evil remains up for grabs. Characters in my novels who knew Shrug before his undercover stint insist he was a much kinder, gentler man before going undercover. Living with evil, they suggest, warped his soul. Shrug excuses some of his behaviour by suggesting it was governed by depression. He says in his interview that a prior personal trauma left him not caring if he lived or died and thus he became a willing candidate to take on the ultra-dangerous assignment.

Although Shrug has many excuses for being the way he is, he's not so generous with his thoughts about Katrina, the young protagonist in my series. He believes that despite all the traumas that beset her, she was just plain born evil.

1st Edition Paperback

Shrug's boss, Sergeant Kindle says yes, Shrug and Katrina share many behaviour patterns and personality traits. Both are manipulative, underhanded, exceptionally clever, and prone to secrecy and untruths. However, Kindle says, the difference lies in their motives. Shrug, he believes, always hold the best interests of humanity in mind while Katrina's behaviour is governed by her own best interests.

Past traumas, mental health and the personalities we are born with do indeed help form our character. To what extent we can blame our behaviours on exterior influences in not fully understood even by the experts. And although the judicial system does allow leeway for motives (self-defense, abusive relationships, insanity) it doesn't generally accept a defence of "the end justifies the means", a philosophy Shrug has been known to advocate as an excuse for his illicit behaviour. Whereas buying and selling cocaine during a mission to infiltrate a gang is forgivable and legal, using a child to ratify those deals is likely pushing the limits too far. And Shrug is known to have done both.

So how 'bad' is Shrug? He wouldn't have been able to successfully infiltrate a biker gang if  he'd been carrying with him his church-going Christian ways so perhaps he can be forgiven for setting aside his morality to deal with everyday evils he encountered. He did, he says, always keep in mind the ultimate good that would come from his mission.

We all have a tad of evil in us, whether from past traumas, desperation, the personality quirks we're born with, the teachings that have influenced us, the health of our mind, body, soul and relationships.  Whether or not Shrug is right that some people are born purely evil may not be so clear.

That good people can at times do bad things (for a variety of reasons) is a given.  Whether those with criminal minds can do good, and whether or not they deserve credit when they do is debatable.

In  THE STRANGER BESIDE ME by Ann Rule, she mentions how Ted Bundy, the taker of many lives, also saved lives during the time he manned the suicide prevention line with Rule. She felt we might wish to grant him some brownie points for that. Although those he saved and their loved ones may agree, the justice system didn't and I don't. Not any more so than the Hells Angels' annual teddy bear run improves my opinion of that gang.

Drop on over to the Famous Five Plus website and see what you think of the man who confuses even those of us who know him well.



Eileen Schuh, Author

FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

There's none more powerful

THE TRAZ - Eileen Schuh

If you don't believe my fictional account of the power of biker gangs as related in The Traz, the first novel in my BackTracker series, here's a headline to convince you:

Thirty-one alleged members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang and associates facing drug charges have had their cases thrown out of a Quebec court because of unreasonable delays.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbc.ca%2Fnews%2Fcanada%2Fmontreal%2Fstory%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Falleged-hells-angels-drug-charges-thrown-out-of-court.html&h=4edbb

The 31 defendants were among 156 people charged after a 17-year long police investigation into biker gang-related murders and drug dealing.

Although the headline says they were released because of unreasonable delays, Quebec Superior Court Judge James Brunton actually said "anticipated" delays would have prevented the men from having fair trials.


The judge criticized the provincial justice minister and the director of criminal prosecutions for simply assuming the justice system could handle such a large and complex case.


If this all seems a bit bizarre to you, welcome to the club and where do I get my immunity bikers' patch?

To educate yourself about the workings of criminal gangs, try out THE TRAZ, a novel as daring, raw, and spirited as the young heroine.  It’s exhilarating entertainment but it also contains a vital message for those on the cusp of maturity and for the adults who guide them.

To sample/buy The Traz:
 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005199RFE



http://smashwords.com/b/60190

Drugs...

Drugs...

Criminal motives: murderous, malevolent, convoluted. Matters of the heart, matters of sanity, money matters. In real life, illicit drugs are the driving force behind most crime.

Drugs…

Crimes are linked to their illicit use, illicit dealing, and illicit production. The addict who is seeking funds for a fix will lie, coerce, threaten, steal, kill. The dealer trying to collect what’s owed will torture, blackmail, harass, kill. Gangs protecting their business turf will brandish weapons in broad daylight on a busy downtown street and kill. Robbery, murder, prostitution, and gun play.

Selling drugs to the 7-year-old boy and pimping the 12-year-old girl. Breaking legs. Digging graves. Corrupting the business world, cyberspace, the justice system. Killing.

“Every kilo of cocaine sold in Canada has passed through the hands of a Hells Angel,” I learned at an RCMP presentation on drugs and gangs. Don’t underestimate the power of these people. You don’t have to be an addict, a dealer, a homeless person, a revver of a Harley to fall under their influence. You have to be human—with a weakness.

Even the purist of love for someone or something can make you vulnerable—perhaps your child has a problem or your lover a debt. Maybe there’s an erstwhile goal you want to achieve, an object you want to possess, a job you want to have, an enemy you wish would disappear. Perhaps you’re guilty of a sin you wish to keep hidden. Perhaps you’re lonely, sad, sick, or depressed. Maybe you need to belong to a band of brothers. Perhaps you crave excitement.

Biker gangs and other organized crime have the money to solve your problems and make your dreams come true. They have the influence, the contacts, the power…the bullets. And then…you owe them....

And…they will collect….

If you doubt the power of organized criminals, these are just a few of the headline stories for the single month of August 2010 in the single country of Canada. (with the exception of the Italian snake story.)

TORONTO - Outfitted with an Uzi, duct tape, plastic ties, rope and balaclavas, the thugs were on the way to kidnap someone. The intended target -- police won't say who the victim is or where he lives -- is safe, Peel Det.-Sgt. Kieran O'Connor said Thursday.
The investigation shut down a group that imported, manufactured and sold illicit drugs on the streets.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/13/15011871.html

WINNIPEG - A former member of the Manitoba Hells Angels biker gang pleaded guilty in court Wednesday to manslaughter.
Billy Bowden, 35, reached a plea agreement with the Crown that sees him sentenced to four years for the Nov. 18, 2007, stabbing death of 24-year-old Jeff Engen.
Engen died after being stabbed several times in the chest during a fight. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/12/14998316.html

Hells Angel gunned down in Vancouver
VANCOUVER – A member East Vancouver's Hells Angels was shot and killed at his house near city hall early Thursday.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/12/15004386.html

And…they are violent…

LONDON, Ont. — Two people are facing numerous drug and gun charges after a paintball gun was fired at a car on Friday, police say.
A car, driving in London's east end at about 3:30 p.m., noticed another vehicle drove by and one of its occupants armed with what appeared to be a long gun. He then heard something strike his car.
When officers found the suspect vehicle, they also found a paintball gun, 8 grams of crack and $320 worth of oxycontin.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/09/14967691.html

Two men face a variety of charges after a stolen car was pulled over and Edmonton police found what they describe as explosive devices in the car and on one of the suspects. Police said Wednesday that one man, 39, has been charged with possession of stolen property, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking…etc.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/08/11/ed-bomb-scare-sherwood-park-freeway.html

Last Friday RCMP raided a home just north of Stony Plain. They found 5,200 grams of hash valued at $78,000 and 850 grams of marijuana valued at $8,500. Police also found a cache of ammunition and weapons including:
a loaded .22 calibre pistol a loaded IMI (Israel Military Industries) Galil 7.62mm semi
automatic assault rifle
a mini 14 .223 calibre assault rifle
an Ithica 12 gauge pump action shot gun
a Winchester 30-30 rifle
oversized magazines to fit both of the assault rifles
A 49-year-old Stony Plain man faces 21 counts related to firearms offences, in addition to possession of marijuana and possession of hash for the purpose of trafficking.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/08/10/edm-stony-plain-drug-bust.html#ixzz0wExUex57

And they are unpredictable and innovative…

ROME - Italian police seized a rare albino python in Rome on Wednesday in a raid on a group of drug traffickers who used the snake to guard cocaine and intimidate customers who owed them money.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/08/11/14996196.html


Police in southeastern B.C. have raided a marijuana grow operation that was apparently guarded by black bears. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/08/17/bc-marijuana-grow-op-bears.html

TORONTO - A Colombian man is behind bars after allegedly trying to smuggle almost 2 kilograms of cocaine in his underwear through Toronto's Pearson International Airport.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/10/14981246.html

And…the top dogs are wealthy…

Seized bikers' den had a mortgage
By PAUL TURENNE, QMI Agency

WINNIPEG - The Hells Angels' Winnipeg clubhouse was a place that hosted barbecues and Ultimate Fighting Championship viewing parties, but was also allegedly a hub of criminal activity that was funded by drug money, according to court documents prepared for the home's seizure last week.

Police allege the $927 monthly mortgage payments were made from "...profits from drug trafficking, drug taxes and the payment of dues by members of the Hells Angels and payment of dues and drug taxes by members of the Zig-Zag Crew or other associates..."
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/08/05/14928511.html

My Back Tracker series and my parallel novel, Noraebang, explore this violent, explosive, engaging world of bikers and drugs. They also highlight the bravery, intelligence, personalities, and tenacity of the men and women thwarting these gangsters.

Until next time, dear writers—may YOUR crime always pay…

Agent and publishing rights to the Back Tracker series, the novel "Noraebang"
and the 'tween crime novel, "Aerdrie" are available. More info, including excerpts at http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Eileen Schuh's first published novel, "Shrodinger's Cat" will be released by Wolfsinger Publications in both print and ebook formats in 2011.