A veteran member of the Hells Angels has admitted guilt in a case involving illegal gambling, bringing a long investigation to a close. Francisco Batista Pires, a figure within the elite Nomad chapter, pleaded guilty to providing gaming services without a license in a Vancouver court.
The case stemmed from a probe launched in 2022, focusing on allegations of unlawful gaming operations at Big Shots Café, located on East Hastings Street in Burnaby. Investigators with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) suspected the café was a front for illicit activities.
A raid in July 2023 uncovered a sophisticated gambling setup. Authorities seized four video lottery terminals – three actively running with cash inside – alongside poker chips, detailed ledgers, a gaming table, and over $14,000 in cash. Ten individuals were arrested at the café, with another taken into custody at a residence.
Pires, 62, received a $10,000 fine and a $1,500 victim surcharge. A related charge of operating a common gaming house was dropped against both Pires and his co-accused, Angelo Giuseppe Freda, 60.
This isn’t the first time Pires and Big Shots Café have been under scrutiny. A previous investigation began in 2019, leading to charges that were later stayed. A civil forfeiture case followed, resulting in the loss of seized cash and equipment linked to the alleged illegal gambling.
Records reveal Pires incorporated Big Shots Café in 2004, initially with another individual, later replaced by a fellow Hells Angel. The business license consistently listed Pires alongside other members of the organization.
Authorities emphasize the connection between illegal gaming and broader criminal networks. CFSEU-BC officials stated that these operations often fuel organized crime and money laundering, posing significant risks to public safety and community well-being.
Pires’s past also includes a prior drug trafficking conviction, a detail highlighted in a separate civil forfeiture case that led to the seizure of multiple Hells Angels clubhouses by the B.C. government. Evidence suggested those clubhouses were used for drug trafficking on multiple occasions.
The outcome of this case underscores the ongoing efforts to disrupt illegal gaming operations and hold those involved accountable, aiming to dismantle the criminal networks that profit from them.
