Rogar McIlroy, 44, who owns Lend A Hand Auto at 130 Railway St., a small auto shop where police allege the drug operation was centred. He faces 21 charges, including trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Also charged was Shirley McMahon, who worked in the Kingston Police's communications department.
The civilian employee of eight years was charged with attempting to obstruct justice and unauthorized use of a computer, after police say she used her position at the department to access sensitive information about investigations and pass it along to those involved with the ring.
She was not charged with any drug offences and will appear in court next month.
At a news conference at police headquarters yesterday afternoon, Insp. Antje McNeeley said McMahon was suspended from her job last year after police uncovered her alleged involvement during their lengthy investigation, which involved wiretaps and other forms of surveillance.
Det.-Const. Craig Sharp of the Kingston Police said investigators from that force and the RCMP intercepted more than 45,000 phone calls by and to the main suspects in the investigation, and that wealth of information led to arrests in other cities as well as uncovering McMahon's alleged involvement with the group.
Police also laid a charge of uttering death threats against one of the men arrested yesterday based on what they heard in those conversations.
The charge of threatening was laid against Carl Bursey, 33, a former high-ranking member of the Bandidos who is now believed to be an independent and not a patch-wearing bike-gang member. Bursey has a long criminal record and faces 29 charges as a result of the investigation.
The gang dealt primarily in marijuana and cocaine and Sharp said they were not affiliated with any particular organized crime group, such as the Hell's Angels, but would buy drugs based on price and resell in Kingston and to dealers in other cities.