Hell's Angels members plead guilty to murder conspiracy charges in Canada

Twenty-seven Hell's Angels members have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder in part of a wide-ranging Canadian prosecution of the notorious motorcycle gang's activities, officials said.

More than 150 Hell's Angels were arrested in 2009 after a major crackdown on five branches of the gang in eastern Canada.

Charges against them included murder, conspiracy to murder and drug-trafficking. Dozens of those arrested have since been released.

Several defendants have agreed to plead guilty ahead of a trial due to open in Montreal next Tuesday, officials said.

Among the five chapters of the gang targeted in the prosecution, 27 people have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder in exchange for sentences of up to 25 years in some cases.

Nine of the 27 were to appear before a jury on Tuesday, but the hearing is expected to be swiftly adjourned because of the combination of different cases.

[Image via Agence France-Presse]