Provincial Mounties have laid charges against three members of the Bacchus Motorcycle Gang after investigating allegations of uttering threats and using intimidation to control their perceived territory.

Police received a tip from the public which led them to search four locations; The Bacchus Clubhouse in Nine Mile River, two homes in Dartmouth and a residence in Grand Desert.

Officers seized vests displaying Bacchus patches, small quantities of marihuana, steroids, psilocybin (magic mushrooms), a number of computers and cell phones.

RCMP have charged Patrick James, 45, from Dartmouth, Duane Howe, 43, from Grand Desert and David Pearce, 38, from Dartmouth with Uttering Threats and Intimidation.

“Outlaw Motorcycle Groups like the Bacchus think they control certain areas of our community and that’s just not the case,” says RCMP Superintendent John Ferguson, Federal Policing Officer. “Police are not going to tolerate it, nor are the citizens of Nova Scotia going to allow a group of individuals to conduct criminal activity in our neighborhoods and then threaten and intimidate people.”

The three men all appeared in Dartmouth Provincial Court on Friday. Their next appearance is scheduled for Oct. 5.

“The investigation is still ongoing,” Ferguson says. “Of course, we have a court process down the road that I’m sure will take place and so it’s kind of difficult at this point to really comment any further.”