Hate to post a Wiki link, lol- but I really find this one informative....:
<The U.S.
Department of Justice defines Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs as organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs as conduits for criminal enterprises.
[6] Both the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and
Criminal Intelligence Service Canada have designated four MCs as
Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs), which are the
Hells Angels,
Pagans,
Outlaws MC, and
Bandidos,
[50][51] known as the "Big Four".
[52] These four have a large enough national impact to be prosecuted under the Federal
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute.
[53] The
California Attorney General also lists the
Mongols and the
Vagos Motorcycle Club as outlaw motorcycle gangs.
[54][55] The FBI asserts that OMGs support themselves primarily through
drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and
extortion, and that they fight over territory and the
illegal drug trade.
[56] The
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Gazette, quoting from the
Provincial Court of Manitoba, defines these groups as: "Any group of motorcycle enthusiasts who have voluntarily made a commitment to band together and abide by their organizations' rigorous rules enforced by
violence, who engage in activities that bring them and their club into serious conflict with society and the law".
[57]
The FBI asserts that OMGs collect $1 billion in illegal income annually
[58][59] and that
street gangs,
prison gangs, and OMGs are the primary retail distributors of
illegal drugs in the US,
[60][61] with OMGs dominating US
methamphetamine trade distribution.
[62][63] In 1985
[64] a three-year, eleven-state FBI operation named Roughrider culminated in the largest OMG bust in history, with the confiscation of $2 million worth of
illegal drugs, as well as an illegal arsenal of weapons, ranging from Uzi submachine guns to antitank weapons.
[65] In October, 2008, the FBI announced the end of a 6-month undercover operation by agents into the narcotics trafficking by the Mongols Motorcycle Gang. The bust went down with 160 search warrants and 110 arrest warrants
[66]
Canada, especially, has in the past two decades experienced a significant upsurge in crime involving outlaw motorcycle gangs, most notably in what has been dubbed the
Quebec Biker war, which has involved more than 150
murders[67] (plus a young bystander killed by an exploding
car bomb), 84
bombings, and 130 cases of
arson.
[57] The increased violence in Canada has been attributed to turf wars over the illegal
drug trafficking business, specifically relating to access to the
Port of Montreal[68] , but also as the Hells Angels have sought to obtain control of the street level trade from other rival and/or independent gangs in various regions of Canada.
[69]
Members and supporters of these clubs insist that illegal activities are isolated occurrences and that they, as a whole, are not criminal organizations. They often compare themselves to police departments, wherein the occasional "bad cop" does not make a police department a criminal organization and the Hells Angels sponsors charitable events for
Toys for Tots in an attempt to legitimize themselves with public opinion.
[70]
Contrary to other criminal organizations, OMGs operate on an individual basis instead of top-down, which is how supporters can claim that only some members are committing crimes. Belonging guarantees to each member the option of running criminal activity, using other members as support - the main characteristic of OMGs being "amoral individualism" in contrast to the hierarchical orders and bonds of "amoral familism" of other criminal organizations >