Hells Angel dies during legal battle
Overdose suspected in death of biker who was fighting to regain $12k seized during traffic stop
A member of the West Point Hells Angels died of a suspected overdose last week while in the middle of a court case with the B.C. Civil Forfeiture office.
Lukasz Cimoszko, 36, was found dead near Barriere, RCMP Sgt. Janelle Shoihet confirmed Monday.
She said there was nothing suspicious about the death and the B.C. Coroners Service is leading the investigation.
Coroners spokesman Andy Watson said he couldn’t comment.
Social media tributes were pouring in for Cimoszko, who became a full-patch member of the notorious biker gang in 2012.
Hells Angels spokesman Rick Ciarniello did not respond to requests for comment.
Cimoszko was in the middle of a court battle with the B.C. government agency over $12,270 that was seized when he was pulled over by Vancouver police a year ago.
According to the claim, Cimoszko’s 2015 Corvette was stopped with the engine running across from a pub on Manitoba Street on March 21, 2017.
Officers ran the plate, which showed that the Hells Angel leased the luxury vehicle. They followed the Corvette and watched it “weave within its lane and fail to signal when it changed lanes,” the claim said.
“The VPD initiated a traffic stop to confirm the driver’s sobriety.”
Cimoszko drove for another two blocks before he pulled over, even after police turned on their lights and siren, the court documents said.
He was wearing “a sweater bearing (Hells Angels Motorcycle Club) patches and the HAMC deathhead logo.” His passenger was wearing an “HAMC support lanyard.”
Vancouver officers saw a machete “in plain view lodged between the centre console and the passenger seat.” Both Cimoszko and the passenger were arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon, although neither was criminally charged.
Police searched Cimoszko and found two folding knives in his pants pockets.
They also searched the vehicle and found bundles of cash, more than 240 grams of marijuana, four more knives and “documentation” related to the Hells Angels.
Most of the cash was in two packages
of 250 $20 bills located in an open bag on the top of the centre console, the suit says. Two smaller loose bundles were in a black satchel in the trunk of the Corvette.
Cimoszko told police he had a
medical marijuana licence to possess the pot. The next day, investigators confirmed he had a pot licence for possession of up to 150 grams and to grow 74 plants at a Langley address.
The director of civil forfeiture alleges the cash “is proceeds and an instrument of illegal activity.”
“The money has been used by Mr. Cimoszko to engage in unlawful activities which variously resulted in, or were likely to result in, the acquisition of property or an interest in property, or cause, or were likely to cause seriously bodily harm.”
A list of the alleged criminal activities included in the civil forfeiture suit includes possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime, participation in a criminal organization and commission of an offence for a criminal organization.
The director claims Cimoszko obtained the money from criminal activity and would likely use it for more crimes if it was given back to him.
In Cimoszko’s response, he says police didn’t really stop him for traffic violations, but because he’s a Hells Angel.
“Members stopped the vehicle as part of a ruse in order to engage in a fishing expedition in relation to the defendant,” his written response said. “The defendant carries on a legitimate business and collects, remits and files the necessary taxes to the appropriate government authorities.”
Cimoszko also claimed that the VPD search of his vehicle was warrantless and in violation of his Charter rights.
Phil Tawtel, Civil Forfeiture Office executive director, said he couldn’t comment on the Cimoszko case since it remains before the courts.
Corporate records list Cimoszko as the president of two B.C. companies, both incorporated on Dec. 3, 2009. One is called Luke Contracting Ltd. The second — Exotic Auto Imports Ltd. — also lists fellow West Point Hells Angel Larry Amero as a director.
Amero was charged in January with conspiracy to kill gangster rivals Sandip Duhre and Sukhveer Dhak in targeted 2012 shootings. He remains in custody awaiting trial.