Hells Angel member gets 4 years in prison for drug charges

A Hells Angel member from Nanaimo has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of various drug charges.

Vincenzo James Sansalone of the Hells Angels Haney chapter was recently sentenced following a joint investigation conducted by the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime program (FSOC), and US authorities.

Police said the investigation was initially launched by the BC RCMP Kelowna FSOC - Major Projects unit in 2015.

Through the use of numerous advanced investigative techniques, including undercover operations and wire taps, FSOC investigators were able to gather sufficient evidence to arrest the main suspects for conspiracy to import cocaine into Canada from the US, as well as production, and trafficking of MDMA.

During the course of the investigation, RCMP officers seized 12 kgs of MDMA and $380,000 in cash, of which the suspects intended to use as a down payment for the purchase of 18 kgs of cocaine.

In March of 2018, FSOC teams executed search warrants on multiple residences and arrested six suspects, four of whom were charged with various drug-related offences.

The suspects included Sansalone, Daniel James Alexander, Martino Calabretti, and Zlatko Garvic.

Alexander, Garvic, and Calabretti were charged with Conspiracy to Import Cocaine, with Calabretti and Sansalone also being charged with Trafficking in MDMA/MDA.

In addition to Sansalone’s recent sentencing, on March 9, 2023, Alexander was also sentenced to serve five years in prison, followed by Garvic, who was handed a four year prison sentence on April 27, 2023.

Calabretti’s case is still before the court, and is expected to advance over the coming months.