MADRID (AP) — The trial of 49 alleged members of the Hell’s Angels biker gang on the Spanish island of Mallorca, primarily charged with organized crime offenses, is suspended pending a verdict after three weeks of court sessions National Madrid.
One of the best-known defendants is German Frank Hanebuth, accused of links to organized crime, money laundering and possession of firearms. Prosecutors have demanded a 12-year sentence against him on the grounds that he played a key role in moving the gang from Hanover to Mallorca under mounting pressure from German authorities.
Hanebuth, the only defendant to exercise his right to a closing statement before the recess, insisted his organization was democratic. “We are not a criminal organization. We are the only motorcycle club in the world based on a democratic structure. It means one person, one vote,” he said through an interpreter.
He denied that there is a president at the national or international level and ensured that each subsidiary is independent.
His lawyer had requested an acquittal.
Prosecutors charged the motorcyclists with organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, prostitution and extortion.
Of the 49 defendants, 35 agreed to plead guilty on the first day of the trial and were ordered to pay fines. Of those who did not accept the guilty plea, the heaviest sentence would go to the group’s alleged treasurer, Abdelghani Youssafi. The prosecution requested a sentence of 28 and a half years.
The prosecution has reduced some of its requests for sentences, pointing to the slowness of the process since the police operation which began almost 10 years ago.