Randall James King entered the guilty pleas in a Victoria courtroom last week in the middle of his ongoing trial
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A full-patch member of the Nanaimo Hells Angels has pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including trafficking cocaine for the benefit of a criminal organization.
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Randall James King, 48, entered the guilty pleas in a Victoria courtroom last week in the middle of his ongoing trial. One of his co-accused, Hells Angels member Jeffrey Pasanen, died suddenly in August.
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Another co-accused, Johnathan Erin Clifford of Courtenay, remains before the courts.
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King, who lives in Campbell River, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy, as well as two counts of trafficking cocaine. He will be sentenced at a later date.
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B.C.’s anti-gang Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit began an investigation into a Vancouver Island drug-trafficking operation connected to the notorious biker gang in January 2021.
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“Over the course of approximately one year, investigators gathered significant evidence related to the activities of individuals associated with the Hells Angels Nanaimo chapter,” CFSEU Sgt. Sarbjit Sangha said.
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In early 2022, officers searched four residences in Courtenay and Campbell River and seized about three and a half kilograms of cocaine, about $160,000 in cash, several firearms including a handgun, semi-automatic gun, sawed-off shotguns, long guns and ammunition, and Hells Angels paraphernalia.
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Charges were laid in November 2023 against King, Pasanen, Clifford, Rhys Tyler Vernon Bolton, Shawna Lynne Leblanc, and Peter Bruce Billie.
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Bolton, Leblanc and Billie earlier pleaded guilty.
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Pasanen, a longtime Hells Angels member, was alleged to have been an organizer of the drug-trafficking network.
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CFSEU’s acting chief, Supt. Ryan Element, said the guilty plea to the criminal organization offence “marks a significant outcome” for his agency.
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“This is a significant result for CFSEU-BC and reflects the relentless work and determination of our island district investigators,” he said in a statement. “This team spent years pursuing this investigation, from gathering evidence and making arrests to supporting a lengthy and complex court process.”
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Element also said that “organized crime investigations of this magnitude are complex, resource-intensive and can take years to move through the justice system.”
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“This guilty plea to trafficking cocaine for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal organization is an important outcome and demonstrates our commitment to targeting individuals operating at the highest levels of organized crime and holding them accountable.”
