Longtime Hells Angel gunned down outside Burlington restaurant
A longtime Hells Angel was shot dead Tuesday night in the parking lot of a Mandarin restaurant in Burlington after dining there with his family, the Star has learned.
Halton police responded to reports a man had been shot at an address on Fairview Street around 8:30 p.m., they said. He was taken to hospital, where he later died.
Police described the shooting as targeted.
The Star has learned the victim was Oakville Hells Angel Craig (Truck) McIlquham.
McIlquham was known to Canadian police for decades in connection with big-money crimes, including a bust called Project Hobart, alleging a multimillion-dollar international gambling ring in 2019.
Craig (Truck) McIlquham
McIlquham was charged with a dozen offences, including possession of a restricted weapon, bookmaking and commission of an offence for a criminal organization.
The investigation was spurred by an escalation of violent crimes across Ontario, including attempted murders, arson, extortion and threats, police said.
Police said at the time the Hells Angels were working in the gambling ring with a York Region-based 'ndrangheta Mafia group.
Gamblers were allowed credit limits as high as $20,000, but they were also expected to settle debts within a week, police said.
The gambling operation used five different websites to pull in $131 million in illegal revenues over five years, police said. The groups also operated a gaming house in Mississauga, police said.
In making the Project Hobart arrests, the OPP announced they had seized more than $12 million in assets, including sports cars, two golf carts, seven residences, nine illegal handguns, jewelry valued at approximately $300,000, $330,000 in precious metals, $1.2 million in financial accounts and approximately $1.7 million in cash.
In total, police announced 228 related charges against 28 people from across the province and in Oka, Que.
The Project Hobart case was ultimately dropped because of court delays. The Crown said that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the delays in the complex case, as well as 'voluminous' amounts of disclosure documents, prosecutors said, praising the Ontario Provincial Police for conducting a 'thorough and effective investigation.'
McIlquham's lawyer, Craig Bottomley, declined to comment, on this week's shooting.
Another police subject in Project Hobart, was Niagara Hells Angel Michael (Diaz) Deabaitua-Schulde, who was killed in broad daylight on March 11, 2019, after leaving a Mississauga gym. He was shot at close range.
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