Former Manitoba Hells Angels president Ernie Dew has been convicted a second time on drug charges connected to a lengthy police sting operation.
Justice William Burnett convicted Dew of six counts of drug trafficking and possessing proceeds of crime. A date for sentencing has not been set.
Dew, 52, was among 12 outlaw bikers and associates arrested in February 2006 as part of an undercover RCMP investigation called Project Defence.
He was convicted in 2008 of seven drug-related charges and sentenced to 13 years in prison. In 2009, the Manitoba Court of Appeal quashed Dew’s conviction and ordered a new trial. The high court ruled Dew was denied his right to a fair trial because he had been unable to secure a lawyer and represented himself for the first two weeks of his trial.
Franco Atanasovic, Dew’s longtime friend, was paid more than $500,000 for his help ensnaring Dew and other project targets.
Dew claimed he was trying to help Atanasovic settle a drug debt with fellow Hells Angel Ian Grant.
Prosecutors said Dew was a high level drug dealer driven by greed, not altruism.
Dew has served more than five years in custody. His arrest pre-dates changes eliminating double credit for pre-trial custody, meaning he could be credited for more than 10 years time served at sentencing.