Hells Angels mark 40 years in B.C. under the watchful eye of police

Criminal cases and clubhouse seizures haven’t deterred B.C. Hells Angels from hosting hundreds of their brethren for a weekend of celebration to mark the biker gang’s 40th anniversary in this province.

There has also been a heavy police presence across the Lower Mainland as officers with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) and biker cops from other parts of Canada have kept a close watch on events.

On Friday afternoon, a large group of Hells Angels and their supporters rode Harleys into the Lower Mainland from Hope along Highway 7.

The festivities are marking the founding of the original three B.C. chapters of the Hells Angels — Vancouver, Nanaimo and White Rock — on July 23, 1983.

And despite a challenging few years for the biker gang, with a number of member convictions and the government seizure of three clubhouses, they’re still expecting to party hard today when they gather at the White Rock chapter’s Langley clubhouse.