10 properties searched in Hells Angels investigation

Officers with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) executed 10 search warrants across the province Wednesday morning.

The sweep was part of an ongoing investigation into the Hells Angels motorcycle club.

Seven of the properties searched are in Edmonton – including the group’s Westridge chapter clubhouse. Other warrants were executed in Acheson, Strathcona County and Leduc.

ALERT spokesman Mike Tucker says a number of people associated with the club have been arrested and are facing organized crime charges.

Tucker says the investigation is still in its early stages, with investigators busy cataloguing evidence.

ALERT is made up of police teams who focus on serious and organized crime, typically involving gangs, drug trafficking or child exploitation.

Commuters in west Edmonton faced detours and delays during rush hour after several blocks of 159th Street were shut down as police investigated one of the properties.

Officers with ALERT wore heavy protective gear as they entered the home, located just south of 83rd Avenue.

Tucker said the closure was done to keep both the involved officers, as well as members of the public, safe.

Traffic along 159th Street has now reopened.