Five bikers belonging to a Hells Angels group were arrested on Tuesday May 28, 2024 in Valdoie (Territoire de Belfort) as well as in Ensisheim and Labaroche (Haut-Rhin). They are suspected of extortion of funds to the detriment of traders in the Soultz-Haut-Rhin sector and of possession of weapons.
Five bikers belonging to a group of Hells Angels were arrested Tuesday May 28, 2024 in the Territoire de Belfort and Haut-Rhin, The “bikers” are suspected of extortion of funds to the detriment of several traders in the Soultz-Haut-Rhin region and of possession of weapons, the Colmar public prosecutor’s office confirmed this Friday morning to France 3 Franche-Comté.
The suspects were arrested during a vast operation, carried out in particular by the gendarmes of the Strasbourg research section, with the support of the GIGN of Dijon. The arrests were made in Valdoie in the Territoire de Belfort, and in Ensisheim and Labaroche, in Haut-Rhin. All the bikers arrested, including the youngest, arrested in Valdoie, were part of the Hells Angels branch in Colmar.
A dozen handguns and rifles “category B and C” a was seized during the searches, as well as a small quantity of cocaine.
The suspects were arrested during a vast operation, carried out in particular by the gendarmes of the Strasbourg research section, with the support of the GIGN of Dijon.
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© REMI WAFFLART / MAXPPP
The five men aged 34 to 57 were referred to the prosecution and indicted on Thursday afternoon in Colmar. Three of them were placed in pre-trial detention, the other two released. They were to be tried in immediate appearance this Friday in court.
But the trial was cut short. Three defendants requested time to prepare their defense. As the prosecution also did not want a severance of the proceedings, the case was postponed until June 19. The three incarcerated men remain in detention. The other two were placed under judicial supervision with a ban on approaching the victims and their relatives. But “it would be suicidal to put pressure on the victims, it would be an admission of guilt”, recalled during the hearing Me Lionel Gattin, lawyer for one of the defendants.
The racketeering acts for which these five men are being prosecuted extend from March 1, 2023 to March 2, 2024. They concern at least two traders, one of whom is a tattoo artist. Two members of the gang have a criminal record and have already been the subject of several convictions for acts of violence, drug trafficking or possession of weapons.
The Hells Angels are the most famous motorcycle club in the world. It was founded in 1948. It is today established in 59 countries and divided into 469 “chapters” on five continents. Members of the group have been involved in criminal cases numerous times in recent years. The club was even banned by the courts in 2019 in the Netherlands.
In France, there are 11 chapters, including one based in Colmar. There are around a hundred Hells Angels in France.
