Dale Donovan, 34, entered his surprise guilty plea this morning to several charges including conspiracy to traffic drugs, possession of proceeds of crime and participating in a criminal organization.The former president of the Manitoba Hells Angels has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after admitting to his role in a drug trafficking network.Donovan and 17 other gang members and associates were arrested in December 2007 following a year-long undercover police investigation dubbed ``Project Drill`` that involved having a career criminal become a ``secret agent.``Scotty ``Taz`` Robertson was able to infiltrate the gang and conduct a series of drug and weapons deals that were caught on video and audio surveillance by police.He was paid more than $600,000 for his work and put in the witness protection program. During the investigation, police seized five machine-guns, three handguns, 11 kilograms of cocaine, 2,000 tablets of methamphetamine and 13 pounds of marijuana.
Donovan became leader of the local Hells chapter after former president Ernie Dew was arrested in a similar police sting in February 2006. Dew is now behind bars serving a 13-year sentence.