WINNIPEG - A former Mountie arrested in an undercover sting targeting organized crime has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Wayne Edward Shuttleworth, 40, pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of trafficking in a firearm and participating in a criminal organization.

Shuttleworth was one of 31 people arrested last December as part of a year-long investigation dubbed Project Divide. Nearly all of those arrested were members or associates of the Zig-Zag Crew street gang, the so-called “puppet club” of the Manitoba Hells Angels.

As in similar stings police enlisted the aid of a paid criminal agent, in this case Zig-Zagger Michael Satsatin, to ensnare criminal targets.

At the time of his arrest Shuttleworth was a full-patch member of the Zig-Zag Crew. Court heard he sold Satsatin a sawed-off semi-automatic rifle and had made arrangements for the sale of another firearm prior to his arrest.

Police surveillance captured Shuttleworth attending 20 meetings of the Zig-Zag Crew, during which members discussed the need to arm themselves against their gang rivals.

Shuttleworth was a member of the RCMP for four years before quitting in 1994.

“The record shows is that he was not a good performer with the RCMP,” Crown attorney Sadie Bond told court. “If he did not resign he likely would have been dismissed.” Defence lawyer Mark Wasyliw said Shuttleworth suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his RCMP experiences, which include “seeing children burned alive.” At the time of Shuttleworth’s arrest, the Zig-Zag Crew was a rag-tag collection of third-tier criminal amateurs, a gang decimated by a series of successful police busts, Wasyliw said. Shuttleworth, Wasyliw argued, joined the gang for the “camaraderie ... a sense of belonging,” not because he wanted to be a criminal.

Justice Chris Martin rejected the argument. He said Shuttleworth knew what he was signing up for when he joined the gang.

“I have a difficult time accepting that the Zig-Zag Crew is equivalent to Œthe gang that couldn’t shoot straight,’ “ Martin said. “This is not just a group of amateurs ... This is a criminal gang whose purpose was criminal activity.” Martin credited Shuttleworth one year for time served, reducing his remaining sentence to three years.

dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca