Charges have been laid against a long-time Hells Angel and an associate after slot machines were found inside a Burnaby café.
Long-time Hells Angel Francisco Batista Pires and associate Angelo Giuseppe Freda face gambling charges after an investigation into Pires' Burnaby café, Big Shots Café. The charges stem from a 2022 Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit investigation resulting in a July 2023 search warrant where slot machines, gambling paraphernalia, and cash were seized. Pires and Freda are charged with keeping an illegal gaming house. Pires and associates faced similar charges in 2020 that were later dropped.
