ANGELS ON THE RISE

Membership in bike gangs is flourishing but fears that a violent clash
with Asian organized crime was inevitable are fading, according to an
Alberta criminal intelligence report.

An all out turf war over the drug market in the province between the
two elements expected earlier this year never percolated to a shooting
spree, but that is the only perceivably positive point in a
semi-annual report released last week by Criminal Intelligence Service
Alberta.

"Apparent intentions of the Hell's Angels organization moving into
drug territories earlier in the year have diminished and are no longer
emerging threats of concern to law enforcement," states the 15-page
report.

But since spring of this year, the number of members belonging to the
three Hell's Angel's chapters in Alberta have grown by eight to a
total of 57, while the total number of "support club" members have
grown by three for a provincial total of 95, says the report.