Nanaimo Hells Angels member pleads guilty to cocaine trafficking in B.C. island case

Randall James King, 48, pleaded guilty mid-trial in Victoria to trafficking cocaine for a criminal organization. Sentencing has been set for a later date.

Full-patch Hells Angels member admits cocaine trafficking role in Vancouver Island case

A full-patch member of the Nanaimo Hells Angels chapter has pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking and related charges stemming from a years-long drug investigation on Vancouver Island, Vancouver Sun Crime reports.

Randall James King, 48, of Campbell River, entered his guilty pleas in a Victoria courtroom last week while his trial was already underway. He admitted to conspiracy, two counts of cocaine trafficking, and trafficking cocaine for the benefit of a criminal organization. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

King was one of six people charged in November 2023 following an investigation launched in January 2021 by B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU). The anti-gang unit spent roughly one year gathering evidence against individuals linked to the Hells Angels' Nanaimo chapter before executing search warrants in early 2022.

Officers searched four properties in Courtenay and Campbell River, seizing approximately 3.5 kilograms of cocaine, around $160,000 in cash, multiple firearms — including a handgun, a semi-automatic weapon, sawed-off shotguns, long guns and ammunition — and Hells Angels paraphernalia.

"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.

Three of King's co-accused — Rhys Tyler Vernon Bolton, Shawna Lynne Leblanc, and Peter Bruce Billie — had already pleaded guilty earlier in the proceedings. A fourth co-accused, Jeffrey Pasanen, a longtime Hells Angels member alleged to have organized the drug-trafficking network, died suddenly in August. The sixth accused, Johnathan Erin Clifford of Courtenay, remains before the courts.

CFSEU acting chief Supt. Ryan Element described King's guilty plea to the criminal organization offence as a milestone for the unit. "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."

Element added that investigations of this scale are inherently demanding. "Organized crime investigations of this magnitude are complex, resource-intensive and can take years to move through the justice system," he said. "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."

The Nanaimo chapter, founded in 1983 as one of B.C.'s original Hells Angels chapters, has faced mounting legal pressure in recent years. Former full-patch member Kristopher Smith and associate William Thompson were convicted in July of selling an Uzi submachine-gun to an undercover officer, along with several additional drug and firearms offences; both are due in B.C. Supreme Court on September 28.

The chapter's physical assets have also been stripped away. In February 2023, the B.C. Court of Appeal ordered the Nanaimo, Kelowna, and East End clubhouses forfeited to the provincial government following a civil forfeiture lawsuit establishing criminal links between the properties and the organization. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the Hells Angels' appeal in October 2023.

Source: Vancouver Sun Crime