MONTREAL, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- About 400 Canadian police officers staged 52 raids in Quebec and New Brunswick Wednesday, arresting 28 suspected bikers on drug and other charges.
The investigation than began in June 2010 involved the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Quebec provincial police and numerous municipal forces in 25 cities and towns, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Farrah told a Montreal news conference the probe centered on the Hells Angels biker gang, but not all of those arrested were members of the group.
"These individuals, based on our investigation, are shown to have direct ties to organized crime, specifically the Montreal chapter of the Hells Angels," Farrah said.
He said officers seized as yet-undisclosed amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, hashish, marijuana, along with weapons and cash.
Twenty-five of the arrests were in Quebec and the other three in New Brunswick.
Investigators said there was also intelligence the Nomad biker group from Ontario had connections with the ring, QMI Agency reported.
Scores of drug, weapons and organized crime charges were being processed against the accused Wednesday afternoon, police said.
