“Prostitution, drug trafficking, possession and trafficking of weapons, extortion, as well as various forms of violence, including murder” — these are simply a few of crimes alleged in a 150-page indictment in opposition to 50 members of a Hells Angels chapter that operated on the Spanish island of Mallorca from 2009 to 2013.
The trial in opposition to the membership’s former chief, Frank Hanebuth, and 49 alleged worldwide collaborators, kicked off Monday in Madrid.
According to Spanish prosecutors, the Hells Angels performed unlawful actions in Mallorca underneath Hanebuth’s management. He allegedly appointed members who then carried out crimes together with extortion, pimping, buying unlawful firearms and theft in standard vacationer spots.
Hanebuth was seen arriving at court docket an hour earlier than the scheduled begin time for the trial. A complete of 46 defendants have been within the courtroom, whereas three others have been anticipated to offer proof by videoconference.
The starting of the session was delayed as legal professionals tried to rearrange plea agreements for a few of the defendants. It wasn’t instantly clear whether or not Hanebuth’s lawyer was amongst these looking for a plea deal.
Spanish prosecutors are looking for a 13-year jail sentence for Hanebuth on expenses of membership in a legal group, cash laundering and unlawful possession of firearms. They’re additionally looking for a $4.5 million tremendous for the cash laundering cost.
Other alleged main members of the group face expenses of working a prostitution ring and drug trafficking, and will withstand 38 years in jail.
According to the Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos, the indictment listed prostitution as one of many group’s major sources of earnings, accusing the members of exploiting and coercing girls who labored in personal golf equipment acquired by the Hells Angels chapter.
Prosecutors have alleged that the ladies have been even subjected to beauty surgical procedure with the only real function of “making them more productive and obtaining a greater profit from the activities they carry out.”
The trial is predicted to final a number of weeks.
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