The State : 38 Hells Angels Held in Sweep

Thirty-eight Hells Angels were arrested in five states on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and the use of explosives, drugs and weapons in what officials called an attempt to shut down the motorcycle gang’s drug network. State Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp charged at a San Francisco news conference that the gang has used violence to control the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine, or “speed,” in the region. Among those arrested was Ralph (Sonny) Barger, founder of the Oakland chapter and a leading member of Hells Angels, which has 60 chapters in the United States and abroad. The arrests took place in California, Alaska, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina. In Northern California, more than 400 agents fanned out to make 11 arrests and search homes and other properties, seizing more than 100 weapons, officials said.