Hells Angels associate Sean Michael Heickert is charged with first-degree murder

Hells Angels associate Sean Michael Heickert one of two men wounded in a gang-related shooting in Thompson in August is charged with first-degree murder, RCMP said. Mounties have arrested and charged a Sean Michael Heickert in the murder of gang leader Bekim Zeneli, who was shot to death almost 10 months ago. RCMP said additional arrests are possible. It's believed Heickert was targeted in the shooting for his alleged involvement in the murder of Zeneli, 33. No one has been arrested. Zeneli, who co-founded the LHS street gang with his brother Mohammed, was found dead in an apartment in Thompson on Dec. 7, 2007.
At one time, LHS -- standing for "Loyalty, Honour, Silence" -- was aligned with the Hells Angels. There has been increasing violence in Thompson in the last year or two due to a power struggle over the drug trade in northern Manitoba. Heickert was taken into custody for questioning shortly after the homicide but was released without charge last December. Heickert was arrested by RCMP this week. He remains in custody. Last year, Heickert was the target of a murder plot as part of a drug turf war in Thompson. That forced police to pull the plug on Project Drill, a year-long undercover investigation into Hells Angels members and associates, last December. Heickert's brother -- Oshawa, Ont., Hells Angels member James Heickert -- and two other men are charged with conspiring to kill him.