Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, has released the following statement about the Civil Forfeiture Office’s (CFO) demolition of the Hells Angels’ clubhouse in Nanaimo:

“After more than a decade of legal action, government is now in legal possession of three properties previously used as Hells Angels’ clubhouses in Nanaimo, Kelowna and East Vancouver to co-ordinate criminal activities, and today we will be demolishing the clubhouse in Nanaimo.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities and the forfeiture of these properties is a significant step forward in putting organized crime on notice in British Columbia. We will continue to undermine every effort that criminals make in B.C to profit from their criminal activities.

“Government will continue to protect British Columbians and take action against organized crime by seizing illegally obtained assets – brick by brick, we will demolish organized crime and those that profit from it.

“Today’s action is only the beginning. As part of our Safer Communities Action Plan, we passed legislation to add Unexplained Wealth Orders as a powerful new tool and another way that government will pursue ill-gotten gains generated from criminal activity more efficiently.

“This important result today is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved, from the brave undercover and anti-gang officers and the police agencies who referred their case files to the Civil Forfeiture Office and tirelessly contributed their expertise and support to see this case through to its conclusion.

“I also want to thank our legal counsel and the CFO staff for their complementary and extensive work on this lengthy case. Some will question the considerable efforts expended to reach today’s outcome. I would suggest they look beyond factors such as how long this was before the courts and consider the fundamental interests of ensuring justice is served, and the fact that the dangers criminal activities pose to everyone in British Columbia are now significantly diminished.”