I was happy to read that The Bandido Massacre is the 5th best selling true crime book in Canada, and the top one that was written here. I’m also a little stunned to read this, since it’s been out for more than half a year. Maybe the summer is biker season. Who knows? Why question good news?

Last week, I met Edward Winterhalder, former secretary-treasurer of the Bandidos worldwide and the author of numerous authoritative books on the club. He’s a really nice guy face-to-face. We were having breakfast and he saw a soldier at another booth. By reflex, he bought the service man breakfast. It wasn’t something for show, just something that he says is pretty common down there. Proud as I am to be Canadian, we could learn some things from Americans.

I don’t know Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan but I have respected her work for some time. She did a great job of covering the hit on East End Vancouver Hells Angel Juel Ross Stanton this week. It was an excellent example of energy and knowledge combining in reporting.

Her city of Vancouver’s difficult to fathom, as they have a myriad of groups, but not nearly as strong of a Mafia presence as here in Ontario.

Former Ontario biker Ion (Johnny K-9) Croituro’s in custody in B.C. now. He’s mentioned in a story I have in today’s paper, in which former Hamilton Mafia hitman Ken Murdock talks about his former nasty trade. Murdock says that the Hamilton mob wanted him dead for enforcement work he was doing for another crime family.

I don’t imagine there’s any shortage of suspects in the Stanton murder. I also wouldn’t bet it will be solved until someone is picked up on other charges, and then cuts a deal. Or maybe it will remain a mystery.

Nothing in Murdock’s former business is carved in stone, but there are some standard practices here in Eastern Canada, Generally, the Mafia generally prefers guns while dynamite is more of an outlaw biker way of doing things.

We’ve probably all wondered what’s happened to a former home. Most of us don’t read about it in the news pages, like this Winnipeg resident.

There are no patches in the Bandido world for perfect attendance, and even if they existed Robert (Peterborough Bob) Pammett would definitely not have won one. He was absent the night of the massacre, and if he had attended, there likely would have been nine funerals instead of eight. As it was, he was the biker in the yellow leather vest at Boxer’s funeral. Since the massacre, goateed Bob has spent more time in jail than outside of it, after he was pinched selling cocaine to a police agent. He’s fighting now to keep his fortified home on the river from being seized by police as proceeds of crime. It’s not your typical biker digs, with a koi pond and almost life-sized statue of a Greek woman. He’s back in custody, since being scooped up at mid-afternoon on Saturday, July 24 in Peterborough, driving his canary-yellow pickup erratically down a city street, trying to keep up with nine buddies from the Outlaws. Word is the Outlaws have moved into Peterborough, although no one’s yet seen a Peterborough rocker on their backs. Interestingly, the “Canada” bottom rocker is gone, as their days as a national club are over. With about 50 members scattered across a half dozen clubs (Ottawa, South Simcoe, Toronto East, Toronto, St. Catharines, Sault Ste. Marie and London) in Ontario, they still have a presence, but that’s less than a third of the 170 or so full patch Hells Angels in Ontario. Even with members behind bars or on bail, on stipulations not to associate with other bikers, there are some 140 Angels on Ontario roadways. Thanks to my friend Julian Carsini for spotting some errors in the original version of this post.

For all the news about bikers and illegal drugs, it’s interesting that many of them turn to legal prescription ones to take the edge off of life. Boxer Muscedere’s Bandidos called them “groovies” and they were the sort of thing that’s legally prescribed and paid for by public health care. It’s enough to get the Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper” playing in your brain.

The troubles continue for the Winnipeg Hells Angels. Authorities have seized their clubhouse, which looks more like a suburban ranch-style home than a bunker, although its nestled behind a graveyard, which gives it an edgy feel when you drive up to it. Authorities charge the bikers planned crimes within its walls, giving them justification to shut it down. I’ve heard that the Sherbrooke Hells Angels clubhouse was kept cleaner than the average college frathouse, with posters on the walls warning visitors to refrain from drugs. The idea’s to keep authorities from raiding it and shutting it down too.