The Dirty Dozen MC was established by twelve founding members in 1964. the club was in fact formed prior to the release of the film. Among the Dirty Dozen's most prominent traditions was the annual Florence Prison Run, which began in the early 1970s.
Criminalization The Dirty Dozen became the largest and most violent motorcycle gang in Arizona, and would not allow other outlaw biker clubs to operate in the state without their permission. In 1979, the Dirty Dozen established a clubhouse in
Claypool. Outnumbering the local police, the club had virtual impunity to commit crime in the town, and members became known for harassing and assaulting residents of the area. The Dirty Dozen came into conflict the following year with the Bad Company MC, a club from New Mexico who were attempting to form a chapter in nearby
Globe, resulting in two local Bad Company members, David Howell and Laird Kriley, being badly beaten and ordered to disband. He was sentenced to a minimum of 166 years in prison in June 1984 after being convicted on one count of kidnapping and nine counts of sexual assault. On August 30, 1984, a case in which Huey was charged with six counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of child molesting and one count of child prostitution ended in a
mistrial due to a
hung jury. He was accused of molesting and prostituting the 13-year-old sister of his girlfriend, Pamela Jean McQuillen, between December 1982 and February 1983 after McQuillen had "gifted" the girl to Huey as a Christmas present. McQuillen was convicted of three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of child prostitution and one count of child molestation on August 14, 1984, and she was sentenced to 42 years' imprisonment on October 5, 1984. Standing trial for a second time, Huey was convicted in April 1985 of four counts of sexually assaulting a minor and two counts of child molesting. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on two counts of sexual assault and one count of child prostitution. On June 14, 1985, he was sentenced to a 168-year prison term. Dirty Dozen president Chris "Porker" Sexton Baucum was among at least fifteen people arrested and charged with narcotics offences on January 24, 1984, following a 19-month undercover investigation into a Phoenix-based drug distribution network allegedly consisting of members of the Dirty Dozen as well as independent bikers. According to authorities, the drug ring also operated in California, Colorado, Kansas, and South Dakota, and was connected to the Mafia. As part of the investigation, police served 52 search warrants between June 1982 and February 1983, seizing $157,537 worth of various narcotics, 150 guns and 1,554 rounds of ammunition. One Dirty Dozen member, Charlie Prest, was allegedly handcuffed and beaten by off-duty police officers working as security at a
David Allan Coe concert in Tempe on December 2, 1984, and two others claimed they were
maced when they attempted to intercede. All three were then jailed. The police officers testified that they had acted with reasonable force and that the bikers had precipitated the violence. On April 30, 1985, Prest was convicted of disorderly conduct at Phoenix City Court. A five-month joint drug investigation by the
Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) and
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) resulted in 44 Dirty Dozen members and associates being arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on February 5, 1985. According to the indictments, the Dirty Dozen had conspired to take control of the methamphetamine trade in Arizona, and carried out counterintelligence operations against rival motorcycle gangs and law enforcement personnel. On March 27, 1986, Dirty Dozen associate Kenneth Dale Gann was arrested in
Pima County as part of
Operation One Percenter, a 12-month investigation by the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) targeting motorcycle gangs. Operation One Percenter resulted in the arrests of 53 members and associates of 18 different biker gangs on various weapons and narcotics charges, during a series of
raids in 18 U.S. states, and the seizure of 10 sawed-off shotguns, 10 machine guns, 63 rifles, 100 handguns, 4,500 rounds of ammunition, six silencers, a bomb, four hand grenades, five pounds of dynamite, 15 stolen vehicles, a stolen computer and a drug lab, as well as large quantities of
cocaine,
marijuana and
PCP. In 1990, the Dirty Dozen became involved in a conflict with the
Vagos after the California-based club expanded into Arizona, establishing a chapter in Phoenix. Like the earlier 1985 operation against the Dirty Dozen, the raids of 1992 weakened the club but did not lead to its disbanding as intended. In July 1996, the Hells Angels'
Oakland, California chapter voted in favor of expanding their club into Arizona by amalgamating the Dirty Dozen, and the majority of the Dirty Dozen's membership voted to "patch over" to join the Hells Angels. Robert Mora, the Dirty Dozen's Tucson chapter president, was credited with being responsible for the merger due to his incessant campaigning, as he sought a larger network of bikers to do business with. Motions to merge the Dirty Dozen with the Angels had been unsuccessful in previous years. The amalgamation was also mutually beneficial for the Hells Angels, as it allowed the club to expand into a state with lax
motorcycle helmet restrictions and a terrain ideal for motorcycle riding. Law enforcement authorities have also alleged that Arizona's close proximity to Mexico has allowed the Angels to trade in firearms and methamphetamine with near-impunity. During the Dirty Dozen's fourteen-month probationary period, numerous members – including at least one former police officer – were expelled as they were deemed unworthy of becoming Hells Angels. Those who voted against the "patch over" were forced to retire from the outlaw biker subculture and ordered never to wear the Dirty Dozen's colors again. The merger between the Dirty Dozen and the Hells Angels was consecrated during a meeting of members from both clubs at the Oakland chapter clubhouse in October 1997. In 1998, Barger left his longtime Oakland chapter to join the Cave Creek chapter. His role within the Arizona Hells Angels was reportedly an advisory position, as he did not hold officer status and he rarely attended
rallies or public events. Barger was also a member of the Yavapai County chapter before he returned to Oakland in 2016. ==References==