Satan's Choice in new era of 'rapid recruitment' in Ontario, police say after Windsor-area arrest

old nick’s pick in young epoch of ‘rapid recruitment’ in Ontario

In the wake of the Windsor-area arrest of an alleged Satan’s Choice member, Ontario Provincial Police said the outlaw motorcycle gang's membership has been growing quickly across the province since last summer.

The Canadian-organized biker gang historically has been involved in illegal activity, including drugs and weapons trafficking, kidnappings and murders, according to the OPP.

Satan's Choice Motorcycle Club started in the 1950s. Its popularity grew in the 1960s, and it eventually became one of Ontario’s most prominent biker gangs.

In 2000, Satan’s Choice began dissolving as the Hells Angels absorbed many branches. It’s now rebuilding, as police note.

“The membership is highly fluid, but because it's so fluid, it's hard to monitor," said Bradford.

“Southwestern Ontario is obviously heavily populated. So in organized crime terms, it's a lucrative territory."

Around 2 a.m. ET on May 22, Windsor police seized multiple loaded firearms, ammunition and a biker vest with the Satan’s Choice emblem on it from a home in Tecumseh.

Andrew Vincent Bastien, 41, was arrested and faces several weapons-related charges. According to police, he's a Satan’s Choice member.

OPP said Harley Guindon claims to be the organizer of Satan’s Choice in Ontario.

Last August, Guindon announced on social media that he had relaunched the club and planned to open chapters across Canada.

The day after Bastien’s arrest, Guindon posted on Facebook that Bastien is a former member who recently quit.

“He went to the other team months ago. He is not in our club. Period,” Guindon wrote.

Guindon alleges that Bastien secretly kept his Satan’s Choice "patch" after leaving. A patch —often affixed to a jacket or vest — signifies membership.

Stephen Schneider, a criminology professor at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, has studied Canadian organized crime for decades.

“That's a good excuse to use. Given [Guindon’s] proclamations that Satan's Choice is not involved in organized crime, not involved in criminal activity. He always obviously has to distance himself from that,” said Schneider.

He said club patches are cherished and symbolic.

“If you leave the club, then you have to give those back. Those don't belong to you."

As for the three seized weapons, Schneider is not surprised they were found in a home in a residential neighbourhood.

“It's really not unusual for guys like this to store drugs or guns in their home given that they may have nowhere else to put it. Some of these offenders are not the brightest bulbs in the light socket.”

OPP has a Biker Enforcement Unit that investigates motorcycle gang criminal activity. It works with other local police agencies.

Neither Windsor police nor the OPP would say if there will be more arrests.

In a statement, Windsor police said the service is “... Committed to addressing the impacts of guns, gangs, and drug-related crime in our community through proactive enforcement, intelligence-led investigations, and strong partnerships with policing and community agencies.”

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